The Gates of Avalon
by wizards-inmyattic
Summary: Avalon Steele has been waiting to go to Hogwarts her entire life, but things dont seem to be going according to plan. With inter-house rivalries, new friendships, and that annoying Harry Potter kid always messing up everything from Slytherin winning the House Cup to finding a way meet Voldemort, how will she survive? And will happen if Voldemort actually does come back?
1. Summer: Diagon Alley

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading this story. So this is a story I've been sitting on for a while, and I finally decided to get around to work on it. Updates will be coming pretty regularly in the sense that they will be frequent. I probably won't pick a specific day to update on until I have a few more chapters out. I hope you all enjoy this. Anyway, read and review! Thank you!**

It was a sunny August day in London. Many people were out and about, basking in the end-of-summer warmth and rushing to get their errands done. In fact, they were so busy passing the bookshop and record shop on Charing Cross Road, that they didn't notice the strangely clad lot going in and out of the pub between the two shops.

Inside Diagon Alley, two young girls sat at an outdoor table near Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, licking large ice creams and giggling the way eleven-year-old girls tend to do. There was a pause in the conversation.

"Are you almost ready to go shopping? We still need to get our school things, and your sister said she's leaving in two hours, whether we're with her or not," said one of the pair, a tall, elegant looking girl with blonde hair braided in a crown around her head.

"Give me a second, Daph." Her companion began to hurriedly lick her peanut butter and mint chip cone. "What do we need again?"

Daphne Greengrass rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Avalon," she muttered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crisply folded letter, beginning to read. "Three sets of plain black work robes, one plain black pointed hat for day wear, one pair of protective gloves made of dragon hide or something similar, and one black winter cloak with silver fastenings—"

At this, Avalon finished her ice cream and wiped the dribble from her chin. "Silver fastenings? What if I wanted the fancy gold fastenings?"

"Well, you're going to hate buying a cauldron, then."

The two girls set off down the alley, debating which store to go into first.

Daphne propped her hands on her hips. "It only makes _sense_ to go to Flourish and Blotts first. We need more term books than anything else, and school is starting soon. More and more kids are going to come in and try to buy up the lot of them. If we get the books now, we won't have to worry about it."

"But the books will be heavy!" Avalon moaned. "And I want to look at brooms. I might get a new one for my birthday."

"Look at brooms during the Christmas holiday. Besides, why would you want a broom anyway? You hate flying."

Avalon shrugged at the question. "I definitely hate flying. But my parents are still hoping I turn out to be a great flier, I guess. Every so often they get me a new broom. I happen to be starting a very nice broom collection these days. It's turned into a great hobby." But Daphne was not to be argued with and insisted they go to Flourish and Blotts to get their school text books.

Although she wouldn't stop whining until they left the store fifteen minutes later carrying spellbooks and potionbooks galore, Avalon followed Daphne inside. After visiting Flourish and Blotts, they got wands from Ollivander's. Avalon was very pleased with her nine inch birch wand with the dragon heartstring. They bought new cauldrons, and placed their books and wands inside the cauldrons.

"Robes?" Daphne asked.

Avalon still wanted to browse racing brooms, but she knew better than to argue with Daphne's back to school shopping schedule. "Sure. Madame Malkin's is that way, but I want another ice cream cone after we're done. It's hot today." At least this way, they could both get what they wanted.

"We'll see how much time is left."

"You're worse than my mother, you know that?"

They navigated the busy streets of Diagon Alley until they reached the robe shop, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

The shop was relatively on the empty side, considering the Hogwarts term started in a week. Everyone must have decided to either wait until the last minute to come and buy their robes, or to get it done and out of the way ahead of time.

"Look who's here," said Daphne Greengrass, her face instantly lighting up as they passed racks of dress robes.

"Hello, Theo," Avalon said. She waved at their mutual friend as Madame Malkin fitted him for his new robes.

Theodore Nott, a pale, spindly boy who was more arms and legs than anything else, grinned at the girls but didn't move very much otherwise so he wouldn't obstruct Madame Malkin. He shook his head slightly as his usually spiky light brown hair was falling in his face more than usual because of the heat.

"I'll be with you girls in a moment," said Madame Malkin, concentrating on Theodore's robes and barely looking up at Daphne and Avalon.

They took a seat as they waited for her to finish.

Although she was focused on her work, Madame Malkin made conversation with the pair as she did so. "Hogwarts, too, I presume?" At the girls' nod, she continued. "We're getting a lot of business this time of year."

After Theo's robes were finished and Madame Malkin rang up his order, he told the girls he'd be back, as his parents were down the street and he had been instructed to fetch them once it was time to pay for his school robes. Unlike Daphne and Avalon's parents, the Notts didn't quite trust their son to handle to the money and get his school supplies himself. They laughed and told him they'd catch up with him later.

It didn't take that long to get Daphne's robes, as she had not too long ago purchased new ones and could tell Madame Malkin her size off the top of her head. However, Avalon had more difficulty, as the size 12 was too small, but the size 14 hung off her body and she looked like she was wrapped in the drapes from her drawing room.

Daphne sighed and took a seat again. "Of course."

By the time Avalon had finished being fitted, Theo's parents had come and paid, Theo and Daphne had gone to Magical Menagerie and gotten food and supplies for their owls, and had picked up their phials, telescopes, and brass scales. When Daphne returned to Madame Malkin's, Avalon was paying for her new robes and the girls were twenty minutes late for meeting Avalon's sister. This, unfortunately, meant that Avalon didn't get her second trip of the day to Florean Fortescue's. They ran quickly, slowed down by the burden of books and robes and supplies, to the designated meeting place.

On the other side of Diagon Alley, Lucy Steele was tapping her designer dragon hide boot-clad shoe against the cobblestone. Her arms were folded and it was clear that she was not happy about being forced to wait for the girls. Deciding to leave them behind had apparently been an empty threat, which made sense since both Avalon's parents and Daphne's parents would have been livid if Lucy had left Diagon Alley without them.

"Come on, then," she said. She held out an arm to each girl, still impatient.

"I hate apparating," Daphne complained.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Well, when you need school supplies next year, feel free to have your parents bring you, and they can use whatever form of transportation Princess Daphne enjoys. Okay?"

Daphne didn't respond and took Lucy's arm, preparing herself for the tug behind her naval that was on its way as a side effect of apparating.

When the trio reached the Steele Manor, Lucy was gone so quickly that Daphne wasn't sure if the older girl had apparated again or not.

"She's expecting a letter from _him_ ," Avalon explained. She grabbed a bottle of pumpkin juice and cringed at the thought of her sister's boyfriend. "Let's go upstairs."

"I can't believe we're finally going to Hogwarts," Daphne said with a sigh as she followed Avalon up the large ornate central staircase. They reached her room, which was past Lucy's, and decorated with posters of the Weird Sisters and Puddlemere United Quidditch Players.

Avalon sat down on her bed. "I just hope I get sorted into Slytherin."

"You mean you _don't_ want to be in Gryffindor like Lucy? Just think, you guys could have late night sleepovers. You could find a Weasley boy of your own and have wonderful ginger babies," Daphne giggled.

"Ugh. One blood traitor in the family is enough, thank you very much."

The girls laughed as they talked about the prospect of Hogwarts, and how excited they were to begin their magical educations.


	2. First Year: The Sorting Hat

"Hurry up, Daphne! You're so slow!"

Avalon and Daphne dragged their trunks and owl cages through King's Cross Station, rolling their way to Platform 9 ¾. Because Daphne's only sibling was her younger sister Astoria, Daphne had never been to King's Cross before, while Avalon had been there many times during Lucy's school years. It took twice as long to reach the platform because Daphne was so busy taking in the curious muggles bustling about in their strange outfits, and all the other sights the station had to offer.

Daphne rolled her eyes at Avalon. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Lucy was already on the train when the two first years reached the scarlet Hogwarts Express. She had told their parents that morning that she was simply going to apparate and make sure she arrived early so that she would be ready to talk to the prefects about their duties during the year, one of the things she had to do as Head Girl.

"Make sure you write," Mrs. Steele said. She hugged and kissed her daughter and did the same to Daphne. "That means you too. I want a letter at least every week. At _least._ "

"I promise, Mom." They hugged again.

Mr. Steele, on the other hand was much less affectionate than his wife. He put a firm hand on Avalon's shoulder and looked down at her with a steely expression. They stayed like that for a few moments until he nodded at her. She nodded back and he removed his hand, taking a small step back. "Have a good term."

"I will, Father," Avalon said.

As the girls went to board the train, Mrs. Steele pulled her daughter back for another moment. "Don't mind your father, dear. He's going to miss you. His baby is finally going to Hogwarts. He just has trouble… expressing himself from time to time. He loves you and your sister both," she said. Then she released Avalon to climb aboard the Hogwarts express with Daphne.

"Let's find a compartment," said Daphne.

"Theo and Blaise might already be here. We could find them," Avalon added. And so, they began looking for either their friends or an empty compartment where they could wait for their friends.

They were so engrossed in what they were doing, that Avalon bumped into a small freckled boy with bright red hair. Her grin instantly turned to a scowl. "Weasley."

"Steele." His response was equally venomous.

"Are you saying Avalon's name, or are you telling us what your father has to do to provide for your impoverished blood traitor family?" Daphne asked. She crossed her arms and stared down her nose at Ron Weasley, whom she was about a head taller than.

"Just because my brother is dating your sister doesn't mean I'm going to be civil to you," Weasley said.

Avalon gave a cold laugh. "Good. Because the fact that my sister is dating your brother—for some reason I haven't been able to grasp yet—doesn't mean _I'm_ going to be civil to _you._ As long as we're on the same page, we're done here. Come on Daph, there's too much filth in this part of the train."

Weasley turned in the other direction to find some compartment mates and Daphne and Avalon were gone before he had even taken a step.

The two girls began to giggle as they walked away, high fiving and talking about the way they had treated the boy. "Your steal/Steele joke was so great," Avalon said. "I would never have come up with that."

"Thanks. I know, you'd be lost without me."

They laughed again as they rounded the corner. In the next compartment, they found Theo and Blaise Zabini, a tall, dark-skinned boy who was the final member in their group of friends. The girls joined the pair, collapsing onto the compartment seats.

"All right there, Daphne? Avalon?"

"All right," they answered in unison.

Before the entry of their friends, Blaise and Theo had been involved in a high-stakes game of Exploding Snap. Avalon plucked their cards from their hands and placed them back in the deck, shuffling before either boy could register what was going on. "Deal us in. Loser buys from the snack trolley?"

Although Theo was upset that their game had been interrupted, he was rather happy to get free treats and agreed. Blaise enjoyed beating people at things and agreed as well. So, a new game started as the four friends discussed their summers.

"You know," started Blaise, placing a card down in front of Theo, "I heard a rumor that the famous 'boy-who-lived' is attending Hogwarts now. He's in our year."

"Harry Potter?" Avalon asked.

Blaise gave her a pointed look. "No, the _other_ famous kid who defeated Voldemort at age one. Definitely not Harry Potter."

Avalon felt a sharp kick in her shin, and sucked in a breath of air. She looked across the table at Theo, whose eyes had widened and he was conveying a message with them. Somehow, Avalon knew exactly what he was trying to say. _We'll talk later,_ she mouthed, putting down a card in front of Blaise as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"I heard he's been living with muggles all these years," Daphne was saying. The four purebloods shuddered at the thought.

Theo shrugged. "Maybe we'll be in the same house, and then we can properly introduce him to the wizarding world. It'd be pretty cool to rub elbows with Harry Potter," he said. He played his own card and cringed when it exploded.

"Settle down, man-crush," said Blaise.

They laughed and Theo reached out and swatted the back of Blaise's head playfully.

It was hard to believe that the four friends were finally off to Hogwarts. They had grown up together, their parents wanted their children to have proper pureblood friends and setting up playdates. There were other pureblood witches and wizards that they had played with when they were younger, but Avalon, Daphne, Theo, and Blaise had taken to each other more than they had the other kids. They were hoping to be in the same house, although they were all certain that they would get Slytherin.

By the time the food trolley rolled to their cabin, it was clear that Theo was the loser of the Exploding Snap game even though it wasn't over yet.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"Yes please," said Blaise eagerly. "You see, my friend Theo, here, is paying. So I will have… three Cauldron Cakes, some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and a bottle of pumpkin juice. What do you guys want?"

Avalon joined him at the door. "I'd like pumpkin juice as well, and two Chocolate Frogs."

"Umm… a Pumpkin Pasty, a Chocolate Frog, and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Oh, and pumpkin juice for me too, please," said Daphne.

Theo complained about them taking advantage of the opportunity, but ordered licorice wands, and pumpkin juice for himself. Then he pulled out money to pay for the lot, grumbling under his breath as he placed the galleons onto the cart. The lady thanked them for their business and handed the snacks to Theo. He carried them back to the table and distributed them to his friends.

"Thank you for your kindness," Blaise said, his mouth full of Cauldron Cake.

A few hours later, Daphne was sleeping soundly on Avalon's shoulder, Blaise was reading a book, and Theo and Avalon attempted to put together a wizarding puzzle. The problem was, the picture they were constructing was constantly moving, which made it difficult to tell which piece went where.

"Hey, I think we should get changed," said Blaise without looking up from his book.

"Great," answered Avalon, trying to squish two pieces together that blatantly didn't fit each other. "If you boys would be so kind as to leave so that Daphne and I can put on our robes, it would be appreciated."

"Blaise and I were here first," said Theo.

Daphne responded, but didn't open her eyes. "Avalon and I are girls, and you two have to be gentlemen. So leave."

They complied finally.

Once the boys were gone, the two girls began to change into their Hogwarts school uniforms. Daphne was so groggy that Avalon had to retie her tie for her, but otherwise they had no trouble getting dressed. Shortly after they finished, the Hogwarts Express groaned to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, and students began to get off the train.

"Let's go," said Daphne, stretching the sleep away.

As they got off the train, they barely had a moment to take in the breathtaking sights of Hogwarts castle and instead searched for a sign for where they should go. The sign came in the form of an extremely tall man shouting above the din of students—"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

They followed the trail of eleven-year-olds towards the man, who had to be at least eleven feet tall and as wide as three regular men.

"Hullo, my name is Rubeus Hagrid," said the tall man. "I'm the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you'd all come this way, four to a boat please."

The crowd surged forward.

"Come on Daph, let's—"

"Oh look!" Daphne cried. "I found Theo!" And just like that, she was gone, becoming the fourth person in a boat with Blaise, Theo, and fellow pureblood Draco Malfoy. Avalon, left alone, rolled her eyes at her so-called best friend and searched for new first years to ride with to the Castle.

She found a boat of three and stepped into it. There was a pudgy boy with sandy hair sitting in it, along with a bushy-haired witch and a slightly taller boy with shaggy brown hair. "Mind if I join you guys?"

"Sure," said the other girl before any of the passengers could respond. "I'm Hermione Granger. What's your name? Also, have you seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She gestured to the sandy-haired boy, who reddened sheepishly.

Who brought a toad to Hogwarts?

But all Avalon said was, "I'm Avalon Steele. And no, I have seen your toad, Neville. Sorry."

"I'm Terry. Terry Boot," said the other boy in the boat.

And, with introductions given out, the boat gave a lurch and set out across the Black Lake in the direction of the Castle.

Only minutes later, the first years were waiting in a large room to go into the beginning of the year feast and be sorted. Avalon couldn't find her friends yet (or Draco Malfoy, whom she would consider more of an acquaintance than a friend), so she stayed with Hermione and Neville. Terry had spotted some mates and went to join them in line instead.

Hermione was fascinated by the idea of sorting. "I read all of my school books before term started. I wanted to make sure I wasn't behind the other kids. Did you know, there are four houses? Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I read all about them in _Hogwarts: A History._ "

 _And I thought Daphne was a know-it-all,_ Avalon thought.

"Yeah, I know. My sister told me about them. She's a seventh year, and Head Girl," she responded out loud.

"Your sister's Head Girl? That's so cool! I'm the first in my family to go to Hogwarts. My parents were so shocked to find out that I was a witch. They thought McGonagall was playing some sort of nasty trick on them," Hermione gushed.

One thing stuck out in Avalon's mind.

 _Oh. She's a muggleborn. That's too bad, she seemed really nice._

Before Avalon had the opportunity to say something awful to the girl, the heavy doors opened. Professor Minerva McGonagall stood before them, telling the first years to ready themselves to be sorted. She led them into the Great Hall in what could only be called a hybrid between a line and a large clump.

"Form a _line,_ " McGonagall corrected. "And follow me."

Avalon was awestruck by the sights that awaited the first years in the Great Hall. There were four long tables, one for each of the houses. Thousands of floating candles and golden plates and goblets decorated the tables. McGonagall brought the line to a halt in front of a long teachers' table. They faced the other students.

Lucy caught her sister's eye and gave the girl a thumbs up. Embarrassed, Avalon waved back, but her attention was instantly drawn back to the old, frayed hat that McGonagall placed on a stool in front of the first years. The Sorting Hat.

It began to sing:

 _Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
 _But don't judge on what you see._  
 _I'll eat myself if you can find_  
 _a smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_  
 _your top hats sleek and tall,_  
 _for I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
 _and I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_  
 _the Sorting Hat can't see._  
 _So, put me on and I will tell you_  
 _where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor_  
 _where the brave at heart dwell._  
 _Their daring nerve and chivalry_  
 _set Gryffindor apart._

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff_  
 _where they are just and loyal._  
 _Those patient Hufflepuff are true_  
 _and unafraid of toil._

 _Or in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
 _if you've a ready mind._  
 _Where those of wit and learning will_  
 _always find their kind._

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
 _you'll make your real friends._  
 _Those cunning folk use any means_  
 _to achieve their ends._

 _So, put me on, don't be afraid,_  
 _and don't get in a flap._  
 _You're in safe hands, though I have none,_  
 _for I'm a thinking cap!_

The Great Hall burst into rowdy applause, no one clapping louder than Hermione Granger, who had an expression of sheer glee on her face.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," said Professor McGonagall stepping forward with a long roll of parchment. The sorting began with a large call of, "Abbott, Hannah."

As the sorting continued, Avalon watched Terry become the first Ravenclaw, while Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones were the first Hufflepuffs.

"Bulstrode, Millicent," was a Slytherin.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione gave Avalon's arm a pat before running eagerly to the stool and slamming the hat onto her head. She squished her eyes closed and waited for the hat's verdict, which was eventually, "GRYFFINDOR!"

It was hard having a name so close to the end of the alphabet. Her heart pounding, Avalon watched as Daphne became a Slytherin, Neville got sorted into Gryffindor, and Draco and Theo joined Daphne at the Slytherin table.

A hush fell over the Great Hall as "Potter, Harry!" was called. The quiet was soon replaced by hushed whispers, as people tried to get a good look at the boy-who-lived. It seemed that everyone had heard the rumors that Harry Potter would be attending Hogwarts, but it was suddenly a reality. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Avalon rolled her eyes. Of course.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard, "Steele, Avalon!"

"Finally," Avalon said. She made her way to the front of the room and sat on the stool. She placed the Sorting Hat onto her head and waited. She could see the eyes of the Great Hall on her as the Hat began to talk.

"Hmm. I see you're extremely loyal," it began. "You would do anything to help your friends and family. Hufflepuff, perhaps?"

 _Anywhere but Gryffindor._

"That's funny. I had a boy earlier who said the same thing about Slytherin. Why don't you want Gryffindor?"

 _It's my sister's house. She's brilliant, and she's Head Girl. If I were to go into the same house as her, I'd always be in her shadow. At least in another house, I'd be able to make a name for myself based on my own achievements._

"Well. Intelligent, but cunning at the same time. You'd do anything to prove yourself to your father yes? I suppose SLYTHERIN!"

This last bit was shouted for the rest of the Hall to hear, and the second table from the right burst into thunderous applause. She tried to ignore the disappointed look on Lucy's face. Relieved, Avalon jogged down to the Slytherin table and quickly located her friends. Theo scooted over to make room for her and she slid into a seat.

"Congratulations," said Daphne. "Welcome to the rest of our lives!" The other two catcalled. Then Daphne looked over to the Sorting Hat again. "Look, Avalon, Weasley's getting sorted. Wouldn't it be funny if the Hat sent him home?"

The Hat didn't waste time and quickly shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The only person left at this point was Blaise. As soon as he joined Avalon, Theo, and Daphne in Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and whisked away the Sorting Hat.

Avalon's stomach grumbled, as Theo's train snacks were long gone by this point.

The Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, began to welcome the students to the New Year at Hogwarts. Before they could register why on earth Dumbledore was yelling, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" the crowd was clapping and cheering, the dishes were magically filling with food and Avalon was more confused than ever, although the hunger quickly took over.

They began to eat, her plate piled high with roast chicken, boiled potatoes, peas, and carrots.

It wasn't until after the feast that the tiredness started to creep in. Avalon could feel herself beginning to nod off during Dumbledore's speech: "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. Finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Her head snapped up.

"Did he say…?"

Daphne nodded slowly, as if taking in Dumbledore's words as well. "He did. I wonder what's up there. I don't wonder enough to check it out and die a painful death. It's just a mild curiosity," she said.

Blaise nudged her. "Curiosity killed the cat."

After a few more words and the singing of the school song, the students were dismissed for the evening. A Slytherin girl with choppy hair that grazed her shoulders led the first years in the e direction of the Common Room. "I'm glad you all were sorted into Slytherin. I hope you find a great sense of house unity in our dungeon walls."

"Dungeon?" Theo whispered.

"Yes, dungeon," said the girl, who had heard Theo's poor attempt at whispering. "The Slytherin dungeons are underwater. Don't worry, you won't drown, there are plenty of protective charms in place."

They had reached the common room entrance.

The girl's male companion added, "The password is 'belladonna.' Don't forget it, or share it with anyone outside of our house. Understood?"

"Understood," the first years responded dutifully.

"The girls' rooms are that way, boys' are that way. Don't get any sneaky ideas, there's a charm that won't let you into the other room," the prefect continued. "Now, everyone get off to bed. You have a long day ahead of you. Good night!"

There were choruses of "good night," but the children just scampered off to their rooms. Daphne and Avalon quickly got acquainted with their roommates, a quiet girl called Tracey Davis, a girl with a pug-like face named Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode, who was probably the tallest in their year, whom they faintly remembered from the Sorting Ceremony. The girls restated their names.

"I hope we'll all be friends," said Tracey shyly.

Pansy ignored her and quickly began to assign beds, which no one seemed to question at first. "Now, I recognize your surnames, so I know that you're all purebloods. Which is good. I wouldn't share a room with a filthy mudblood. _Ever._ Anyway, you're all going to do what I say, when I say it. All right?"

Avalon snorted and sat down on the bed that Pansy had given to Tracey. "You know, I like this bed."

"I agree, Avalon, this one really seems to be calling my name, and I'm just too tired right now to tell it no." Daphne followed suit and stretched out on the one meant for Millicent. She gave Pansy her most innocent smile and the girl snarled back in a very pug-like manner.

"I _said,_ you're all going to do what I say. Are you deaf or just stupid?"

Avalon flipped her black hair over her shoulder. "I don't take orders from anyone, especially not some pompous eleven-year-old I just met. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's getting late. I'm going to go to bed. You're welcome to stay up and plot world domination with your cronies, but turn the light off when you're done, yeah?" And with that, she laid down and closed her eyes. Daphne did the same.

"Oh, you messed with the wrong girl," Pansy Parkinson glowered. No one stood up to her. Not without punishment. The day of reckoning would come.


	3. First Year: The Beginning of Classes

After the first night in the first year Slytherin girls' dormitory, an invisible line was drawn. On one side stood Avalon and Daphne, eager to be defiant towards Pansy in any way they could. The other side of the line was Pansy and Millicent, whom the girls quickly figured out was just a standard lackey who would do whatever Pansy said—or physically intimidate anyone Pansy wanted. Tracey Davis, however, simply stayed in the middle of the war, flitting between the two factions without a care in the world. No one paid her that much attention, though.

On September 2nd, which was the first morning of classes, Daphne and Avalon quickly showered and got dressed, effectively using up most the hot water before it was Pansy's turn to shower. "She'll figure it out soon enough," Daphne laughed as they entered the common room.

"Good morning." Blaise was sitting in a chair reading the same book that he had been treading on the train. "Are you girls ready for breakfast?"

Daphne looked around the common room. "Aren't we going to wait for Theo?"

"He's at breakfast already. He was 'starving' when he woke up this morning, and wanted to get a jumpstart on the food. At least that's what he told me," Blaise answered.

"Oh."

As they were preparing to leave the common room, Draco Malfoy entered, flocked by his two cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

"I just can't believe it. Who does that _Potter_ think he is? I mean I—"

Blaise turned to the girls. "Malfoy here has been ranting for twelve hours about how Hogwarts's new celebrity rejected his offer for friendship. We need to leave before I have to hear this story a sixth time."

They departed the common room for the Great Hall, although the trio realized shortly after leaving that they were having difficulty navigating Hogwarts. The corridors were beginning to run together, and the stairs moved, so whenever the realized they had gone up the wrong set of stairs they couldn't go back the way they came and had to continue to wander about aimlessly. They had also encountered several very unhelpful portraits, who had—instead of assisting the first years in finding the Great Hall—simply laughed and slipped out of their own paintings and out is sight. A particularly rude poltergeist who called himself "Peeves" had tried to pelt them with water balloons as the passed him. He had missed, mostly, except for Avalon's shoe, which was now drenched and her toes felt like ice.

Blaise put his hand on a nearby door handle and tried it, but to no avail, as it was locked and didn't budge. "Will we ever get to breakfast?"

Just then, Daphne screamed.

"What? What is it?" Avalon asked. Then she screamed as well.

One of the Hogwarts ghosts, a man with blank, gaunt eyes and robes stained with blood, floated through the door and nearly floated through Blaise. He stopped as he passed them and furrowed his brow at the screaming children. "Is there a problem?"

"No, sir," squeaked Daphne. "It's just that we can't find the Great Hall."

The man-ghost chuckled. "All right then. Follow me." The three students ran to keep up with the floating ghost. He talked to them as they walked. "I see you're all wearing Slytherin robes. That's wonderful. I'm the ghost of Slytherin House. You may call me, 'The Bloody Baron.' Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Blaise Zabini, and these are my friends. Daphne Greengrass and Avalon Steele," Blaise said, gesturing to each girl as he introduced them.

"Steele, you say? Yes, I remember when your father was a student."

Avalon clenched her jaw and forced herself to smile at the Baron through her gritted teeth. Fortunately, she didn't need to respond because at that moment they reached the Great Hall.

"Thank you, Baron. We might not have made it to breakfast without your help."

There were only twenty minutes remaining of breakfast, so the three students quickly found Theo and joined him, grabbing plates and filling them with food. Theo hardly seemed to notice their late arrival; as he was so engrossed in his timetable of classes. Apparently, the Heads of House had given them out. They would have to see Professor Snape after having breakfast.

"We have Herbology with the Ravenclaws first, today," Theo read off his own timetable. He sighed loudly and over dramatically before holding out his plate to Daphne, who was sitting on his left. "Sausages, please?"

Daphne rolled her eyes, but she picked up Theo's plate and placed some sausages on it before handing it back to him.

Avalon picked up her goblet and filled it with orange juice before taking a sip, turning her head towards the Gryffindor table as she did so. Lucy waved at her, Avalon waved back. The gesture changed as Avalon realized Lucy wasn't just waving hello, she was waving her _over._

"Hey, guys, I'll be back," Avalon said.

Her friends grunted their responses, and Avalon slipped over to Lucy, who quickly enveloped her little sister in a hug. "I'm so happy that we're both at Hogwarts, finally. You're going to love it here. Today's your first day of classes, and it's going to be great. I've been dreaming of the day that we'd both be at school together. Remember, if you need help in any of your classes, tutoring, I'm always here to—"

"Right, thanks Lucy. I'll be fine," Avalon said. The Gryffindors around them were beginning to stare. She clenched her teeth. "You're embarrassing me."

"Be nice to your sister Avalon. If my sister was Head Girl, I'd never stop talking to her," a voice said from across the table. Avalon craned her neck to see who had spoken. When she found the addition to the conversation, she groaned internally.

Percy Weasley, who would worship the ground that any authority figure walked on. Of course he would be a kiss up. Becoming Head Boy was probably on his career agenda. But if he thought she was going listen to a Weasley—and _Percy,_ no doubt—he was seriously wrong.

Avalon smiled sweetly at him. "Percy? Do me a favor, and stop talking please."

"Don't talk to my brother that way!" Ron jumped up and faced Avalon, fists clenched and chest heaving.

Lucy gave her sister a disapproving look. "Avalon…"

"Whatever. I'm going to get back to my own table." When she was a few feet away from them, Avalon turned back over her shoulder and spat, "Gryffindorks."

"You're lucky there's no witty insult you can make with 'Slytherin!'" Ron called after her.

Harry nudged him, and added, "It's because Slytherins aren't witty!"

The two boys high-fived and laughed at their own jokes, before Ron got distracted by the plate piled high with food in front of him.

When Avalon returned to her table, it was nearly time for the first class of the day. They knew it was Herbology, thanks to Theo and his punctuality for breakfast, but rushed up to Professor Snape to get their timetables. He gave them the timetables and they rushed off in the direction of what they presumed to be the greenhouses for class.

By the time they reached the class, they were moments away from being tardy, but the witch teaching the class was too busy patting down earth tightly around a potted plant that seemed to be snoring. When she finished her task, she turned to the class and smiled.

"Welcome to Herbology, boys and girls. My name is Professor Sprout."

Professor Sprout, a short, stout woman who looked as though she spent all her time in the Herbology greenhouses and was constantly covered in dirt and earth, paired the students up so that they could begin to learn about different plants, their magical properties, and their uses in the wizarding world. This was a class that Avalon had been dreading.

Mrs. Steele was a big fan of gardening, and from a young age, a curious Avalon had always wanted to help her mother tend to her plants. However, Avalon had what might be referred to as the opposite of a green thumb, and often killed the plants. She didn't think the magical plants they'd be studying in Herbology would be any different.

As Professor Sprout talked to them about the Herbology textbook, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi,_ and the importance of always wearing their dragon hide gloves in the greenhouses, Daphne leaned towards Avalon, whom she was sharing a workbench with. "What did Princess Lucy want this morning?"

"It was so awful," Avalon whispered back, trying not to move her lips as much as she could so Professor Sprout wouldn't see them talking. "She gave me this speech about the first day of school and how I could come to her if I needed help. And then Percy Weasley said something about respecting her, and when I jumped in and retaliated to Percy, Ron and the stupid boy-who-lived-and-now-thinks-he-can-do-whatever-he-wants decided to join the party as well."

"A good rule of thumb would be not to talk to the Gryffindors," said Daphne, and Avalon nodded her agreement.

"I agree, because I—"

Professor Sprout stopped talking for a moment and looked straight at the girls, her smile never wavering for a moment. "What's your name, dear?"

"Avalon."

"Well Avalon, let's try our best not to talk while other people are talking, I'm sure your friend won't mind if you hold off on the conversation until break time, all right?" Avalon nodded meekly, but Professor Sprout continued. "Now, why don't you switch partners so this doesn't happen again?" She pointed to the pairing of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, gesturing for them to switch.

Without a second thought, Avalon bolted, so that she would end up working with Draco rather than Pansy. If looks could kill, Daphne's would have at least sent Avalon to the hospital wing. Theo and Blaise snickered behind their hands.

For the next hour and a half, everyone could hear Pansy's voice loud and clear throughout the greenhouse: "Daphne! You're doing that wrong! No, Daphne, of _course_ I know what I'm doing. Daphne, you're not listening to me. Daphne! Daphne! Daphne!"

When the class ended and everyone began collecting their books, Daphne looked as though she had just finished fighting in a war.

"That girl is emotionally draining," she said. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and followed her friends out of the greenhouse.

"Better you than me," Avalon answered.

Daphne gave her a death glare, and she moved to Blaise's other side in case Daphne decided to take a swing at her. A wise choice.

 **A/N: So, this chapter doesn't necessarily have much in terms of plot development but there's some character stuff happening. Updates are definitely going to come pretty quickly with this story. Unlike other fanfictions I've worked on, I started this one knowing exactly where I want to go with it. Unless something changes, I don't know. Anyway, please follow/favorite/review if you like(d) it so far. Thanks!**


	4. First Year: Boils and Trouble

Friday started out simply enough.

Pansy beat out Avalon for the showers, and of course once she was done, Millicent took it upon herself to follow suit and innocent Tracey _just so happened_ to not see Daphne and Avalon waiting outside the door. By the time the two girls showered, the water was cold and both Blaise and Theo had left for breakfast.

"Pansy is lucky I'm too cold right now to be vengeful."

"Double potions with the Gryffindors, first thing in the morning," said Avalon, ignoring Daphne's statement. She pulled her slightly damp hair up into a ponytail and searched for her textbooks. There was some parchment and a few quills under the duvet on her bed, as Avalon had spent the last few nights doing her homework wrapped in the covers, occasionally falling asleep while writing Binns's History of Magic paper.

"That sounds wonderful _,_ " Daphne reached under her own bed and pulled out Avalon's copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions._ "Looking for something?"

"Thanks."

They left their dormitory and went down to breakfast. Over the past three days, they had become familiar with the castle—as familiar as you could be with a place where everything from the stairs to the decorations was constantly changing.

Navigating to the dungeons gave the girls (and Blaise and Theo, who had met up with them at breakfast) a familiar feeling of coldness, as their common room was in a dungeon as well. The Potions dungeon, however, was decorated with pickled animals floating in glass jars on the walls, rather than green furniture and portraits of famous Slytherin witches and wizards like Merlin. The first years stood shivering in the doorway for a moment, as if afraid to go into the dungeons.

"Well? Don't just stand there."

They surged forward, into the room.

Avalon stared at Professor Snape, his sallow skin and hook-shaped nose. She had always thought him to be a terrifying man, and this time was no different.

He began the class by taking roll, and then he had them take their seats so he could speak to them.

"Ah. Harry Potter. Our new… celebrity."

Avalon snorted. Instantly, Snape whirled around and his eyes flashed in her direction. "I'm sorry, Ms. Steele. Is there something funny? Would you care to share it with the class?"

"No, Professor." Her head hung in shame.

Snape went back to calling the roll. By the time he reached "Zabini, Blaise," (Blaise had been complaining the day before that he was always the last one to be called for anything) the class was intrigued but still frightened by their first potions lesson so far. No one dared breathe too loudly for fear of getting called on in class.

Avalon was only partially listening to Snape's speech. She tuned in as he finished: "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death— if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The students seemed unsure if this was a joke or not, but no one wanted to be the one to laugh so they remained silent.

"Potter!" Snape said. "What would I get if I added powdered asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry Potter looked surprised that he was being called out again, and so quickly in the lesson. He also looked surprised because he had probably never heard of either of those ingredients before. He told Snape he didn't know, while the muggleborn Hermione Granger flapped her hand around in the air as if it caused her a great deal of pain not to be called on and prove she was not a dunderhead. Snape continued to ask Potter questions he consistently didn't know the answer to, and blatantly ignore the muggleborn girl's raised hand.

Finally, Potter decided he'd had enough. "I don't know. I think Hermione does, though, why don't you ask her?"

Although it was a fair point, Snape glowered in Potter direction. "For your information, Potter," he spat, "Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down? And that'll be a point from Gryffindor for your cheek," he said.

There was a scrambling as students hurriedly pulled out quills and parchment and began scribbling notes on what Snape was saying.

As the lesson continued, Snape put the students into pairs and instructing them to fix a potion to cure boils.

Avalon was partnered with Neville Longbottom, the boy who she had met on the boat ride to Hogwarts earlier that week. She quickly found out that Neville was awful at Potions, and that she had to pretty much walk him through every step.

"Can you crush these snake fangs with the mortar and pestle?"

Neville nodded quickly, and took the tools and the fangs from her, beginning to crush them. They made small talk as they worked on the potion, and Avalon showed Neville how to carefully add four measures of crushed snake fang powder to the cauldron, and how to heat it carefully.

Everything seemed to be going well, until Avalon asked Neville to add the porcupine quills to the potion while she fetched four horned slugs. While she was in the storeroom, she heard a series of shrieks from the classroom.

When she emerged, a horrific sight greeted her. Neville had miraculously melted Avalon's cauldron into a silver blob. Unfinished potion seeped across the floor, burning holes in shoes and destroying parchment. Neville was in the worst condition, however. The potion had splashed him during the explosion, causing angry red boils to sprout across his skin. He moaned in pain and clutched his arms. Pansy didn't even bother to try and hide her laughter, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle joining in.

Avalon found herself rolling her eyes inwardly. _Oh, Neville,_ she thought.

Snape, with his scowl perfectly in place, used his wand to clean up the spilled potion. Then he rounded on the blubbering boy. "Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville continued to cry and whimper.

"Finnigan!" snapped their professor to the boy working to Neville's left. "Take Longbottom to the hospital wing."

On Neville and Avalon's other side, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had been hard at work. Snape glared at them as well. "You, Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Avalon returned to her desk, dish of horned slugs forgotten in her hand.

"But professor, it's hardly Potter's fault. How could he be expected to monitor his own potion _and_ keep an eye on what Neville and I were doing? If anyone is to blame, it would be me. I was his partner," said Avalon. Potter seemed surprised that she was sticking up for him, but he remained silent and didn't voice his shock.

Snape paused—not hesitantly, but deliberately—before speaking. "Very well. Ms. Steele, please tell Longbottom that the two of you will have detention with me every night next week for your carelessness. That should teach you to mind what you're doing in my class."

The benefit of Neville collapsing her cauldron was that Avalon could work with Daphne for the rest of the class, since Daphne's partner Seamus Finnigan had taken Neville to the hospital wing.

As they left the dungeon, Avalon bumped into Potter and Weasley.

"Thanks for what you said back in the dungeons," Potter said, as if he couldn't believe his words.

"Don't flatter yourself," Avalon responded. "I hate unfairness. I would have done it for anyone."

Weasley grabbed Potter's arm. "Whatever Harry. There's no use thanking a Slytherin, they don't have emotions anyway."

"Wow, you're so clever!"

But at this point, Weasley and Potter had already vanished around the corner and Avalon's friends had left her as well. They only had Charms with the Hufflepuffs before lunch, and she would make a stop by the Hospital Wing on her way to the Great Hall before then.

Charms was taught by a little man named Professor Flitwick. On Tuesday, they had started learning _Alohomora,_ which was an unlocking charm. The professor had asked Susan Bones, whom Avalon knew to be the niece of Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to pass out locks to the students. After showing them the charm the way it was meant to be performed, Flitwick gave the first years a chance to practice performing it. The previous class, the only person who had been able to make any progress with the spell was a Hufflepuff boy named Ernie MacMillan, who seemed just as surprised as the rest of the class.

By the end of their second class, however, the only ones who hadn't successfully unlocked their locks were Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and two Hufflepuffs named Justin Finch-Fletchley and Megan Jones. Flitwick released them from class with a two-foot parchment assignment on the locking charm, which they were to start working on the following week.

"It's finally lunchtime," Theo said, grinning as he and his friends left the Charms classroom. They began to climb the stairs.

"I'll meet you guys there," Avalon answered.

Blaise shrugged in her direction as she parted ways from the other three. "Don't get lost. We won't give up our lunchtime to come find you."

As soon as her friends were out of sight, Avalon began to navigate towards the Hospital Wing. Fortunately, Lucy had showed her and Daphne where it was located earlier in the week and she only had a few problems remembering the way. When Avalon entered, Madame Pomfrey, an aging witch with grey hair neatly scraped under a white matron's hat, exited the office adjacent to the Hospital Wing.

"Yes, what seems to be the problem?"

"I'm perfectly healthy," said Avalon. "I'm here to see Neville Longbottom."

Madame Pomfrey led Avalon further into the Hospital Wing. "Ah, Neville Longbottom, the boy with the boils."

"That's the one."

Neville was lying in a bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. He wasn't crying anymore, although this might have had something to do with the fact that he was sound asleep. "He should be waking up soon if you just want to wait," said Madame Pomfrey. Avalon thanked her and sat down in a chair next to Neville's bed.

His boils were beginning to go down, but he still looked like the kind of person people would avoid thinking he had a contagious disease.

It wasn't long before he began to stir. He opened his eyes groggily. His mouth opened and he croaked something.

"What?"

"I said, 'water,'" Neville repeated, a little bit louder this time.

Avalon looked around, and noticed a tall glass of water on Neville's bedside table. She helped him sit up enough to drink about half of it until he started coughing and cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just checking on you," Avalon said, which _was_ true. "Also, Snape wanted me to tell you that we both have detention with him every night next week."

"I can't catch a break." Neville's voice was muffled, as he had picked up one of his pillows and placed it over his head.

There was a bit of silence as Avalon wasn't sure of what to say. "So, you're not the best at Potions. It was only the first lesson. And besides, we all have subjects we're awful in."

"What's your worst subject?"

"I'm rubbish at Herbology. I don't know what it is about it, I'm horrible at the practical and the theoretical sides," Avalon answered.

Neville seemed to be thinking for a moment. "I've always really liked Herbology. I'm fairly good at it."

"Okay, well, what if I helped you in Potions and you helped me with Herbology?"

"Do you really think that would work?" Neville asked. "You were helping me in Potions class today and look at what happened!" He gestured to his boil covered body, then groaned as he moved into an uncomfortable position.

Avalon shrugged. "What do you have to lose?"

So, Neville agreed, and they decided they would occasionally meet in the library to go over their homework in their respective problem subjects. Avalon had also brought him the Potions homework that Snape had assigned, and offered (albeit, a bit reluctantly) to get his third period assignment from one of his Gryffindor friends. Then she stayed in the hospital wing for a little bit longer before departing for lunch.

By the time she reached the Great Hall, many the first years had already departed back to their Common Rooms to relax, as they had the afternoon off. Thus, her choices of Gryffindors to ask for Neville's missing work were extremely limited. The only familiar face she saw was Seamus Finnigan, the boy who had taken him to the hospital wing. He was talking to a tall black boy and one of the Weasley twins. Fred? Or was it George? Avalon had met them only a handful of times, and hadn't mastered the art of telling them apart.

"Seamus," Avalon called, making her way to the Gryffindor table.

The boy turned around. "You're the Slytherin girl in my Potions class. The one who was working with Neville, right?"

She nodded. "Avalon."

"Right." Seamus went back to his sandwich, making it perfectly clear that he didn't care about her name in the slightest.

"Anyway, I told Neville I would get the homework assignments he missed from one of his housemates while he was in the Hospital Wing."

"I'll stop by myself."

Avalon felt the beginnings of a scowl and did her best to hold it in, no easy feat. "I mean; you don't need to do that. I already told Neville I would do it. You don't have to make a special trip or anything." Remain calm. Don't be rash.

With a sigh, Seamus gathered his books and stood up. "It's nothing personal, Avalon. Except it is. I don't trust you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think that, for some reason, you made the cauldron melt and the potion explode on purpose. I don't know you well enough to know why you would want to do that to a good bloke like Neville, but I know better than to let my guard down around Slytherins." To emphasize his point, Seamus began to walk out of the Great Hall backwards.

A snappy retort died on Avalon's tongue as Seamus left.

 _Who does that awful Finnigan think he is?_ she thought. She turned in the direction of the Slytherin table and went to eat lunch with Tracey Davis, as Theo, Blaise, and Daphne had already finished their meal and were probably long gone. _This is not over._

 **A/N: So in this chapter, there are a few parts that are borrowed from** _ **The Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone,**_ **which is simply because there are some occasions where Avalon is experiencing the same things that Harry did, but obviously from a different point of view. I definitely try to keep it to a minimum, but I know there is one other chapter coming soon that has canonical bits. So yeah. Also, please leave a review maybe? Even if it's just flame, it would be much appreciated. Honestly, I'm a fan of flame reviews because it shows me what I should work on. Thanks for reading! (Also, I don't own Harry Potter, although that's probably not necessary to tell you. I'm sure you figured it out already).**


	5. First Year: Balls and Broomsticks

The following week, Avalon was having a good day. She had finally managed to perform the spell, _Lumos,_ and although she had detention with Snape to look forward to that evening, Neville had been quizzing her on magical plants and herbs while they scrubbed the cauldrons, mopped the floors and reorganized the supplies in the storeroom—all without the help of magic. She had moved up to a 24% accuracy rate, which was a big improvement already.

Anyway, she had been having a fairly good day, until she happened to notice a piece of paper pinned up in the Common Room after dinner: Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday, and Slytherin and Gryffindor would be together.

Avalon hated flying more than anything else in the world. Lucy—who had played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team her fourth and fifth years—had often tried to take her up on a broom, but she was terrified of not having her feet on the ground. She loved watching people fly, however. She was a humongous Quidditch fan and would love to be able to play the game if she could manage to get over her fear. However, that was very unlikely. And in addition to flying, she had to do it with the _Gryffindors,_ of all people. All her favorite people were in that class: Potter, Weasley, Finnigan. And of course, the people she disliked that weren't in Gryffindor, such as Pansy and Millicent, were in Slytherin, so they'd be there anyway.

Bloody fantastic.

The afternoon before flying lessons, Neville and Avalon sat in the library, poring over their Potions textbooks and writing an essay for Snape.

"Tell me about Eye of Newt," Avalon said.

"You know, I've never even been on a broomstick," Neville began, ignoring her prompt. "My gran's never even let me near one. My Uncle always tried to sneak me on behind her back, but Gran is sneakier."

"Eye of Newt?"

Neville flipped the pages of _Magical Drafts and Potions_ absentmindedly, not even bothering to look at the words as he sped by them. "I mean, I suppose it makes sense. I've been called accident prone before." The understatement of the century, but Avalon simply nodded. "But now I have to learn to fly in front of everyone? And the Slytherins?"

Avalon sighed. "We're not all bad, you know."

"I could say the same thing about us."

"Eye of Newt?" Avalon repeated, more firmly this time. She waited.

"Oh, I know this one," said Neville. "It's a plant. Also called the daylily, it's the kind of plant that might bloom in the morning and then wither the following night. And lots of magical properties."

"Such as?"

Neville gave her a sheepish look and tried to cover the sound of him opening _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ in his lap to find the answer. "Maybe you should focus less on Flying and more on what's happening down here on the ground."

"At least you don't have to worry about being the worse flier there," Neville said in an accusing tone. "All the other kids have been talking about their adventures. Seamus spent years flying across the countryside and Ron nearly hit a muggle hanglider on a broom."

"What in Merlin's name is a 'hanglider?'" Avalon asked.

"I don't know!"

Avalon closed her Potions book, realizing that Neville was probably never going to focus completely on the assignment until the dreaded flying lesson was over. "I'm sure those stories aren't real. Besides, what about Granger? She's a muggleborn, and there might be others."

"Dean Thomas too," said Neville, speaking of a boy Avalon knew to be one of Finnigan's friends.

"Exactly! You won't be the worst probably."

Avalon specifically chose not to remind Neville of the fact that since he had never been on a broom either, he was probably equally as awful as his muggleborn companions. He seemed to feel slightly better after their conversation, and Avalon hoped he was better in the air than he was on the ground.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Can I ask you a question, Avalon?" Neville said after a moment. He twirled his quill awkwardly between his fingers. At her nod, he continued. "You told me why you don't get along with Seamus, but why do you hate Ron and Harry?"

She opened her mouth at first, but no sound came out. "I don't hate Potter. That would be Draco," she said with a chuckle. "But Ron… I don't know, every time I see him, he reminds me of his stupid brother."

"Which one? One of the twins?"

"Charlie," Avalon said. She stood up and grabbed her books. "I have to go."

"Avalon, wait! What did I say?" Neville called. He sat alone at the table for a moment, trying to figure out what made Avalon leave so quickly.

 ** _December 19_** ** _th_** ** _, 1987_**

 _Avalon Steele was extremely upset. She and her best friend Daphne Greengrass watched the people laughing and talking at the Ministry of Magic holiday party from their table. Daphne was telling a story about something or other, but Avalon couldn't bring herself to listen to the tale, which, like all of Daphne's stories, was becoming very long winded. Besides, she had a more important mission. Her eyes were glued to a couple across the dance floor, waltzing and laughing away._

 _"_ _Theo_ claims _that he won the race, but I didn't know how to tell him he lost. So, I beat him again."_

 _"_ _Uh huh."_

 _"_ _You're not listening," said Daphne. Her voice wasn't accusatory, just matter-of-fact._

 _Avalon folded her arms and pouted. "She told me she would dance with him for one song, and it's been three. Three! I hate him," she said._

 _"_ _I know you do."_

 _Just then, the girl in question appeared. A thirteen-year-old Lucy Steele walked over to them in her white blouse and teal sweater, a stocky redheaded boy following closely behind her with a grin that matched Lucy's._

 _"_ _Hey Avalon. Hello Daphne," Lucy said._

 _Daphne greeted the girl with a smile and a wave hello, and she even acknowledged her companion, but Avalon only scowled in her older sister's direction. Even at age seven, Avalon's scowl was perfectly perfected._

 _"_ _Do you two know Charlie Weasley? He's in the year above me at school. A Gryffindor. His father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."_

 _"_ _Well,_ my _father is on the Wizengamot," Avalon said._

 _"_ _Charlie is also a Seeker on the House Quidditch Team," Lucy added. This last part was a bit rushed and blatantly nervous. She looked from her sister and her sister's friend to the boy she very obviously had a crush on, waiting for one of them to say something._

 _Avalon stood up. "I'm thirsty," she said, to everyone and no one. She stalked off to the refreshments table, not waiting to see the reactions to her departure._

 _Charlie didn't know how to respond, but he shyly took Lucy's hands in his own as he laughed. "Dance with me, Luce?"_

 _"_ _In a minute, Charlie. I should probably go see what's wrong with Avalon."_

 _Charlie went to find some of his brothers and Lucy joined the younger girl, who had begun to drown her sorrows in a large mug of steaming apple cider. There were tears in her eyes and she swiped at them furiously, as if all her troubles were the result of the tears trying to fall._

 _Lucy ordered some hot chocolate. "Hey, what's going on?"_

 _"_ _You said you were going to dance with Charlie for one song. You said you'd be right back after he asked you."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry Avalon, but I really like him."_

 _"_ _Don't you really like me too?" Avalon asked. She looked up with Lucy with sad eyes._

 _Lucy sighed, and took a long sip of her hot chocolate. "I do, Avalon. You're my sister and I love you. You know that. Boys will come and go, but you're the most important person in my life. But… that doesn't mean I won't want to branch out sometimes and be with other people. Besides, you have Daphne here, and on Christmas Day it will just be you and me. How about this: in a few years, you'll be at Hogwarts, and I'll be there too. We'll both stay at the castle for a magical holiday break together. Deal?"_

 _"_ _Deal."_

 _The older girl wrapped her sister into a hug. The fast-paced Weird Sisters song that had been playing for the past three and a half minutes began to slow down, Celestina Warbeck starting to sing a ballad_ _._

 _Avalon looked up at Lucy, who kept glancing over at Charlie. He gave her a goofy grin before turning back to a slightly older looking lanky boy who seemed like he was related to Charlie. With a sigh, Avalon moved to make her way back to Daphne and the table._

 _"_ _Just go," she said. "Have fun with Charlie."_

 _"_ _Thanks, Avalon!" Lucy gave her sister one last hug and rugged on the end of one of her dark ringlets. Avalon didn't have the heart to bring up how long it had taken their mother to do her hair before the party. With a huge smile, Avalon made her way across the ballroom and tapped Charlie on the shoulder. He gave her a quick hug before gently pulling her out onto the dance floor and into an embrace._

 _Daphne was munching on some cookies when Avalon returned, sitting with Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini._

 _"_ _How'd it go with Lucy?" Theo asked, reaching across the table and stealing one of Daphne's cookies._

 _"_ _She's dancing with Charlie." Avalon answered, as if that answered everything. She paused and looked at the boys. "What are you doing here, anyway?"_

 _Blaise shrugged. "Stepdad number Three is an Auror. He invited me and mum here, mainly because he wants me to like him. I stopped getting attached to them about a marriage and a half ago, but he doesn't know that and he'll basically do whatever I ask to get on my good side."_

 _"_ _So, he invited me," said Theo, a mouth full of cookie._

 _"_ _Daphne, are you Avalon's plus one?"_

 _"_ _Umm, my mother works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, remember?"_

 _Theo shook his head. "Not really."_

 _Avalon was only vaguely listening to her friends. Her eyes were still on Lucy and Charlie, the former laughing at something he had said, a smile on her face as they danced. After a few moments, Lucy's words came back to her._ Boys will come and go. _It wouldn't be long before Lucy moved on from Charlie to another boy, maybe one who wouldn't monopolize all her time and steal her away from Avalon. Yes. She couldn't wait until Charlie was out of the picture._

 **September 11** **th** **, 1991.**

The problem with younger Avalon's theory about Charlie Weasley, however, was that it had been nearly four years since the night he plucked up the courage to ask Lucy for a dance at the Ministry of Magic Holiday Party, and it didn't seem like he had any plans to leave. He wasn't even attending Hogwarts anymore and they were still together. Avalon felt like a whiny child for wishing for the end of their relationship, but it didn't seem to matter what she wanted anyway.

As far as the rest of the Weasley family, she wanted nothing to do with them. Maybe if Lucy saw that her boyfriend or his family and her family didn't get long, she would come to her senses and end it with him. It was worth a try, anyway.

Thursday afternoon rolled around, and Avalon found herself standing on the Quidditch pitch with the other Slytherin first years. Daphne, who loved playing Quidditch and all things flying, chatted eagerly with Draco Malfoy, who would spend hours telling you about his flying abilities if you let him.

There were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground.

"Do you think we'll learn the Wronski Feint?" Draco asked. "Whenever Blaise and I played Quidditch, he'd always fall for my perfectly Wronski Feint."

"Blaise?" Daphne and Theo said at once.

"Since when are you two friends?" Avalon asked. She dropped her voice to just above a whisper so only Blaise would hear her.

Blaise busied himself digging his shoe into the grass. "There have been a _few_ times where I hung out with Malfoy. Not because I wanted to, but over the summer my stepfather was meeting with his father and Mr. Malfoy asked him to bring me along so he wouldn't have to be interrupted by the little bugger. Although he's not _completely_ awful, I suppose."

Avalon snickered.

Pansy, meanwhile, was complaining about flying lessons.

"Why do we need to learn this? I mean, if I want to join the Quidditch team next year, great. But these lessons should be optional. I hate flying—the wind messes up my hair and I get all sweaty."

"You could use the exercise, Pansy," said Avalon, smiling sweetly in the other girl's direction.

"Shut up!"

Avalon laughed. "Wow. Brilliant retort. How long did it take you to come up with that one? Is that why you were tossing and turning so much last night? I know thinking can be hard, but you'll get better at it."

Pansy's next snarky remark was cut off by the arrival of the Gryffindors. Unlike the Slytherins, who had come in staggering, they reached the Pitch in a pack, each newcomer more worried than the last. Madam Hooch, a woman with hawk-like eyes and short, gray hair, blew her whistle loudly. "What are you all waiting for? Everyone find a broom and stand by it."

Avalon and the other first years all scampered off to a broom, most of them old with fraying twigs and splinters waiting to happen.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom and say, UP!"

"UP!" Came the responses.

Most people didn't accomplish this. Some brooms simply rolled over, a few jerked a little bit on the ground as if they were vibrating, and a good portion of them didn't move at all. There was one broom, however, that jumped into its user's hand at once, and that was Harry Potter's. It only made sense that the boy-who-lived-and-was-raised-by-muggles-his-entire-life-yet-somehow-doesn't-suck-at-something-related-to-magic would accomplish this. Of course.

Afterwards, Madam Hooch showed them basic flying techniques. First, she had them kick off from the ground, and told them to rise a few feet before leaning forward slightly to come straight back down to the ground.

Avalon, although shaking inside, was in the majority of the class that managed to successfully accomplish this task.

Poor Neville, however, didn't have the same luck. Instead of pushing off the ground firmly but gently, he had shot off into the air. Within seconds he was twenty feet above the ground, the nervous first years squinting up into the sun to see him. "Come back, boy!" Madam Hooch shouted. Neville seemed to take her words literally, because he leaned forward to look at the ground—pale with fear—and promptly slid off the broom and down to the ground.

As he began to moan, Avalon was reminded of the previous Friday's Potions class. She hadn't known Neville very long but he tended to end up injured a _lot._

He was lying face down in the grass. The class's eyes were torn between watching Madam Hooch examine Neville and his injuries, and watching his broom float away like a child's balloon at a carnival.

"He's got a broken wrist," she was muttering. "Come along, boy, up you get. Now, listen to me. None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

And just like that, they were gone.

 _Boy, when Neville said he was 'accident prone,' he wasn't kidding,_ Avalon thought to herself. _It's only the second week of school and he's been to the Hospital Wing twice already. He should get his own special spot there. I hope he's okay._

Avalon was so wrapped up in her worry for the boy that she barely heard Draco and some of the other Slytherins beginning to laugh and joke about Neville's tumble. Barely.

"Did you see his face? The great lump?" said Draco. There was laughter.

A Gryffindor girl whom Avalon recognized to be called Parvati Patil snapped back at him, "Shut up, Malfoy."

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? I never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati." Pansy Parkinson joined in with a hardened sneer.

Avalon agreed with Parvati, except she wasn't as keen on using her words as the Gryffindor girl. She quickly whipped out her wand and pointed it between Draco and Pansy, silently telling them that she was prepared to hex them.

Pansy glared at Avalon and folded her arms with a smug expression on her face, all too eager to continue their almost-row from before the Flying lesson had started. "And you, Avalon? What would Daddy say if he knew you were hanging out with blood traitors?"

"You leave my father _out_ of this, Pansy. This is between you and me."

"I don't play by your rules," Pansy responded. She pulled out her own wand and aimed it at Avalon as well.

Daphne stepped forward and placed a calming hand on Avalon's shoulder. Their fight was interrupted once more, this time by Draco spotting a little thing in the grass and snatching it up. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

It was a round glass ball filled with smoke that Avalon recognized as a Remembrall, glittering in the sun as Draco showed it off for everyone to see.

"Give that here, Malfoy."

Everyone fell silent and turned to uncover the source of the voice. It was Harry Potter, fists clenched and eyes ablaze. Draco smiled in his direction and gave a wicked little laugh. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find—how about up a tree?"

The two boys took off, Draco pushing off the ground on a broom and Potter trying desperately to catch him before he became airborne, obviously remembering Madam Hooch's instructions. If he hadn't remembered, Hermione Granger, the know-it-all muggleborn Gryffindor, was very eager to remind him that he was going to get them all into trouble.

It didn't matter.

Harry Potter had shot off on a broom of his own after Draco. Soon, he and Draco were level in the sky, obviously talking. The students on the ground couldn't hear the exchange between the pair, much to their dismay, but they saw very clearly as Potter began to try and grab the Remembrall from Draco, expertly navigating on his broomstick. After a moment, the entire class watched with baited breath as Draco dropped the Remembrall. Without warning, Potter shot down and stretched out his hand. He miraculously caught it a foot before reaching the ground.

"Uh-oh," muttered Theo from his position next to Avalon. "Someone's in trouble."

"HARRY POTTER!" A loud, angry voice seemed to get louder and angrier the closer it got to the Quidditch pitch. The first years all averted their eyes and pretended they haven't been watching the exchange, afraid they'd be punished as well.

To their shock, however, it wasn't Madam Hooch. It was Professor McGonagall.

She yelled at him a bit before dragging him off in the direction of the castle.

"Uh-oh, someone's in _bigger_ trouble," Theo corrected. He wasn't wrong. McGonagall was extremely strict, and she was Potter's Head of House. There was no way he wouldn't be expelled now.

However, no one was upset as Draco when he noticed Harry Potter sitting at breakfast the next morning, chatting amicably with Weasley, Finnigan and Neville. The latter seemed to still be very nauseous from the Skele-gro he had had to drink in the Hospital Wing, and he had thrown up twice the previous evening when Avalon was paying him a visit.

"That boy is receiving special treatment," Draco ranted. For once, Avalon agreed with him, although not to the same extent. "Why is he still here?"

"Maybe he's having a last meal at Hogwarts before they ship him off," Daphne said, stirring her porridge. She held out her hand to Theo and he passed her the cinnamon.

Draco lit up with the idea. "Brilliant! That must be it. Daphne that was a clever quip. I think I'm going to go over there and tell that to him. It'll be good for a laugh. Oi! Crabbe! Goyle! Come on, we're going." Neither boy moved, and they both continued to inhale their breakfasts. "You can eat when we get back. I have to tell Potter something."

"I tell, you, that boy's in love with Harry Potter," Blaise said as soon as Draco was out of earshot.

No one seemed to disagree.

"Come on Avalon," said Daphne. She stood up quickly and shoveled a few more bites of porridge into her mouth. "I want to finish my Astronomy homework before Potions today, and if we're still here when Draco gets back from his tea party with Potter, we'll never be able to leave."

"That's not a bad idea," said Theo, following suit.

Daphne was surprised. "Doing the Astronomy homework that's not due until Monday right now isn't a bad idea?"

Blaise stood up as well. "No, I think he means that not being here when Draco finishes over there is a good idea. This way, he'll have to gush about Potter to Crabbe and Goyle, or he'll write about it in his feelings journal. Either way, I won't have to hear about it. I hate 'Potter time with Malfoy.' Let's go."

Avalon laughed at her friends and followed them out of the Great Hall and in the direction of the library.

 **A/N: Hey guys, Cristy here! I'm sorry for the crazy updates: I've only been working on this story for four days and this is the fifth chapter I've posted. I promise I'll calm down eventually. Anyway, thank you to everyone who left a review or who favorited or followed. It means a lot to me.**


	6. First Year: Return to Sender!

First year continued with minimal hiccups. Neville's Potions marks improved a bit and Avalon was doing better (marginally) in in Herbology. On Halloween, someone had released a troll in the dungeons, and while the students sat in their common rooms (and the Slytherins huddled in the library with Madame Pince), Harry Potter and his sidekick Weasley had snuck down and defeated it, rescuing Hermione Granger from the creature. At first Avalon didn't believe the rumors, but even the teachers were talking about it and the boys had become friends with Granger as a result. The first years didn't sleep a wink that night, as Draco kept them up with his rant about Potter "thinking he's so special" and how Draco's "father would hear about this." With November came the first Quidditch match of the season and the discovery that Harry Potter had been chosen as the seeker for the Gryffindor House team, a fact that Draco constantly reminded the Slytherins of throughout the match.

"He broke the rules!" Draco ranted to the others from the stands as Lee Jordan called the names of the Slytherin and Gryffindor team members. He was livid. "Potter got on the broom and defied Madam Hooch and now he gets to be the only first year on a Quidditch team in a century?"

"You _do_ realize you got on the broom first, right?" Daphne asked, not taking her eyes off the pitch.

Draco waved his arms above his head. "Exactly! And yet, here I am, _not_ on the Slytherin Quidditch team. This is preferential treatment and I won't stand for it. My father will hear about this."

Avalon snorted. "I'm sure your father has stopped reading your letters by now. He must think you've got a little crush on Potter."

But as annoying as Draco's "I Hate Perfect Potter" parties were, the others finally had to agree with him.

"I'm tired of famous Harry Potter getting to do whatever he wants because he killed You-Know-Who. He was one! I'll bet he doesn't even remember it," Draco added about half an hour later, after a Slytherin goal.

"It doesn't matter to them, You-Know-Who is gone now and Potter's a savior," said Daphne.

Avalon felt Theo's elbow just above her ribcage. She gave a sharp intake of breath and glared in his direction. No one noticed when she moved away from him slightly on the bench.

"Did I tell you guys about the prank I played on Potter?"

"Probably," said Blaise, wiping at his eye, and accidentally smudging his silver and green face paint. "But a lot of the time you start talking about Potter, and we all zone out until you're done."

"Wait, did you say something?" Daphne turned to the others, rejoining the conversation.

Avalon laughed.

"I'm serious. Anyway, I challenged him and Weasley to a midnight duel in the trophy room a couple of weeks ago. Then, I tipped of Filch that there would be some kids running around the corridors later that night," Draco laughed. He squinted at the Quidditch Pitch and smiled a little bit as Marcus Flint, a Slytherin player, nearly knocked Potter off his broom.

"Wouldn't you have gotten in trouble too? For being out of bed?" Theodore asked.

Blaise rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness. "He probably wasn't there when it happened."

"I overheard them talking about it," continue Draco. "Apparently, Longbottom and that mudblood Granger were there as well. I'm surprised they didn't confront me about it. They probably didn't want me to know that my plan duped them."

"Neville got in trouble too?"

Draco sighed. "Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, a group of four first years was easily able to outrun the aging Filch, and they didn't get caught. Relax, Steele."

A gasp went up in the stands. The four of them turned to Daphne, who hadn't taken her eyes off the game since the beginning. "Daph, what's going on?"

"I'm not certain, but Potter seems to have lost control of his broom."

"Ha!" Draco called. "I bet they're regretting putting him on the Quidditch team now."

But as they watched, they realized it was more than Potter simply 'Neville-ing it up' on the pitch. His broom gave a jerk and suddenly he was thrown off and holding onto the broomstick with a single hand.

After a few moments, Potter could clamber back onto his broom. He shot off towards the ground and clamped his hand over his mouth.

"Potter's gonna be sick!"

But suddenly, the Gryffindors and Gryffindor supporters were cheering and whooping loudly. Potter hadn't been sick, but had caught the snitch in his mouth, earning his team 150 points and victory over Slytherin. By the time the Slytherins slumped dejectedly to the common room, Slytherin team captain Marcus Flint was still grumbling.

"He didn't catch the snitch," he was complaining to anyone who would listen. "He nearly swallowed it! How is that allowed?"

Instead of hanging in the common room with the others, Draco went up to his room to lie down, furious.

This left his cronies Crabbe and Goyle wandering the room in a daze, lost and confused on what to do. Crabbe constantly bumped into other Slytherins and also Goyle, and Goyle bumped into Crabbe when Crabbe wasn't bumping into him.

"I didn't think anyone could be that daft," Daphne said. She was sitting in a green leather armchair with Theo perched on the arm like a lanky bird.

"It almost makes you feel sorry for them," he added.

Daphne, Blaise, and Avalon all exchanged looks. "Almost," they said at once.

It was a couple of weeks before Christmas break when Avalon, Theo, and Draco could be found by the Black Lake, attempting to skip rocks on its frozen surface. Daphne was writing a letter to her family because they were to go skiing over the holidays, and Blaise was on the last chapter of the book he had been reading all term. Crabbe and Goyle snoozed under a tree, biscuit crumbs smeared across their Hogwarts robes.

"They're more like pets than friends," Theodore mused, watching as his stone barely touched the ice.

Avalon and Draco nodded their agreement.

They stood outside for a few minutes more, bundled up in Slytherin hats and scarves and winter cloaks. Suddenly, another person joined them by the Lake.

"Do you all mind if I talk to Avalon for a minute?"

"Sure, Lucy," Draco said. He nudged Theo. "Come on, maybe Blaise is finally done that book by now. We'll be in the Common Room, Avalon."

And they were gone. Lucy looked over at the snoozing Crabbe and Goyle, forgotten by the other boys. "Are they alive?"

"Some worry about them. Their internal clocks will wake them up exactly ten minutes before dinner. It's a rare but impressive talent."

"We need to talk," said Lucy, forgetting about Crabbe and Goyle for a moment. "I need you to promise you won't get mad at me."

Avalon squinted at her sister suspiciously. "I can't promise something like that until I hear what you have to say."

"I'm not spending the holiday at Hogwarts."

"Are we going home then? Are mum and dad taking us on a holiday?" Avalon asked

Lucy paused. She fiddled with the edge of her Gryffindor scarf, not able to meet her sister's eyes as she delivered the fatal blow. "No, Avalon. Well, Mum and Dad are going to America to visit a witch that Mum was friends with at Hogwarts. But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are spending Christmas in Romania with Charlie and his sister Ginny, and they invited me along with them to visit him. It was a last-minute thing, and I know we were planning to spend Christmas together here at the castle together, but I figured you'd understand. I haven't seen Charlie in ages, and I—"

Avalon wasn't listening anymore. In an instant, she was a seven-year-old girl again, sitting at a table with desserts and watching as her sister was stolen away.

"I get it, you know. You've told me before," Avalon answered, her voice steely. "You 'really like' Charlie, or whatever sappy tripe you've told me in the past."

"Well, I… I love him."

"I'm happy for you, I am." Avalon lied through her teeth, nearly choking on the bitter words like bile. "I just hope you remember this moment the next time you choose him over me. And there _will_ be a next time. Maybe it'll be my Hogwarts graduation, or my wedding, or even my funeral. Enjoy Romania. Have a happy, _happy_ Christmas, Lucy. Lots of love." Her voice was dripping with malice and sarcasm as she turned and walked away from Lucy.

She began to run in the direction of the castle, her vision blurring. Lucy's calls faded into the background.

"Avalon! What's wrong? You weren't in the library for our study session so I thought that maybe—"

Neville's face fell as Avalon brushed past him in the corridor, her shoulder harshly bumping his as she went. Thankfully, he got the message and didn't follow her.

It wasn't until Avalon reached the Common Room that she began to let the tears fall. She was swiping at her eyes when her friends noticed her entrance. Theo opened his mouth to greet her, but Daphne put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from saying anything. She knew that when Avalon was upset it was best to leave her be until she cooled off. Even Draco refrained from voicing the snarky comment everyone was expecting from him. She didn't meet their eyes as she passed on her way to the dormitory. They knew she would come and talk to them when she was ready, and not a moment before.

The Christmas holidays came quickly after that.

Daphne was going skiing in Switzerland with her parents, and her younger sister Astoria, and Theo and Blaise were coming along as well. Avalon had been invited as well, but she had turned down the offer to spend the holiday with her sister at the castle and it was too late for the Greengrasses to make accommodations for her. It was funny how things worked out. Draco was also going home, and told Avalon that she could come with him if she wanted. But as lonely as Hogwarts would be without her friends, the idea of two weeks of hearing Draco rant about Harry Potter to a fresh audience didn't scream "Happy Christmas." Fortunately, Avalon's favorite people were also staying at school: Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Potter, and Weasley.

"Morning, Avalon," Pansy said as Avalon opened her eyes on Christmas morning. She was drying her hair with a towel while Millicent waited, already dressed and sitting patiently on her bed.

"Happy Christmas, Millicent. Pansy."

Maybe the Christmas spirit was possessing Pansy. Maybe overnight she had experienced some sort of miracle, and she was being kind as a result.

There were parcels and packages at the foot of her bed. The best part of Christmas.

The first was a pair of dragonhide leather boots, from Lucy (and Charlie). Avalon liked them, but swore her sister would never see her wearing them. Her forgiveness could not be bought with designer shoes, no matter how cute they might have been.

Also in the pile was a copy of the first book in the _Enchanted Encounters_ series, the book that Blaise had been reading for half of the term. It was signed by the author, Fifi LaFolle, and Avalon laughed to herself. Hopefully it would take her less time to read it than it had taken Blaise.

Daphne had owled over a Puddlemere United Quidditch Player calendar, which Avalon appreciated as a dedicated Quidditch spectator.

From Neville, there was a small potted plant with a name that Avalon couldn't pronounce and she didn't remember learning about in Herbology or in their library sessions. She felt better knowing he wasn't upset over the way Avalon had plowed over him after her conversation with Lucy.

Theo's gift consisted of Fizzing Whizbees, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, peppermint toads, sugar quills, and a message that said: _"I know how much you enjoy eating candy that was bought with someone else's money. Have a happy Christmas!"_

Draco hadn't sent a gift, but Avalon found a Malfoy family portrait, the three of them in sparkling emerald dress robes and expressions so somber that she wondered if it was a holiday card or a funeral notice. " _Happy Christmas, to whom it may concern, from Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco"_ was the inscription. She rolled her eyes at the sheer Draco-ness of the card and put it on the bedside table.

"Is that from Draco?" Pansy asked.

"Yes," Avalon answered. "It's a Christmas card. Did you get one?"

"Of course!" Pansy's voice made it clear that the opposite was true.

Avalon opened the gift her parents had sent, a box of her favorite chocolates, a gold-plated wizard's chess set, and a silver charm bracelet with the letter 'A' dangling from it. There was also a note, reminding her that they loved her (her mother) and to remember everything they'd taught her (father).

"I think there's one more," Pansy said, pointing to a lumpy parcel that had fallen onto the floor while Avalon was opening her other presents. She snapped in Millicent's direction and the girl sprang off the bed, following Pansy out the door.

As she peeled the paper back off the package, Avalon tried to figure out who had sent it, since there was no name or label.

It began to give off a horrible, rancid smell.

"What the—?"

Suddenly, about five or six dungbombs spilled out onto the dormitory floor, their stench filling up the room. Avalon looked down at her hands, which were now extremely dirty and glared in the direction that Pansy and Millicent had just exited. It was obvious why Pansy had been so keen for Avalon to open the "gift," and how the two girls knew exactly when to exit to avoid the smell.

She would definitely be late to breakfast, although it didn't matter.

All her friends were off spending time with their families or having fun in general.

It was definitely Avalon's worst Christmas, which was saying something after '87,

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read the story so far! Also, as a disclaimer, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, would I really be writing** ** _fan_** **fiction about it? I didn't think so. Bye guys!**


	7. First Year: Dungbombs and Detention

"Dungbombs? She sent you dungbombs on Christmas?"

It was the first dinner at Hogwarts since the return of the students who had gone home for the holidays. Daphne still couldn't seem to wrap her head around Pansy's actions, and Avalon confirmed for the third time that, yes, Pansy had sent her a package containing dungbombs, and, yes, she was sure.

"It took me nearly three hours of cleaning before the dorm stopped smelling like them," Avalon complained. She stabbed her roast chicken with a fork angrily.

Further down the table, Pansy was talking to Adrian Pucey, an older Slytherin boy. She turned towards Avalon and noticed the other girl's eyes on her. Smiling innocently, she wiggled her fingers and then turned back to her conversation with Adrian.

"Should I hex her?" Blaise asked, twirling his wand nonchalantly.

Daphne laughed. "If she wanted anyone hexed _correctly,_ I doubt you'd be the first person who'd come to mind to get the job done. Or the fortieth person."

Blaise pouted while his friends laughed. He was talented at many things, but Charms wasn't one of those things. If anyone had a question about the position of the stars or one of the Goblin Rebellions, Blaise was their guy as History of Magic and Astronomy were his two best subjects. Surprisingly, he was fairly good in Transfiguration as well. No one could figure out the logic behind that.

Avalon got up after a few moments and walked over to the Gryffindor table, where her sister was beckoning her. She walked with outstretched arms towards Lucy, but at the last moments she turned and hugged Neville instead.

"Hey Neville," she greeted. "How was Christmas with your family?"

"It was fun. And thanks for the new cloak you got me. My gran would have flipped if she found out I lost mine," Neville said.

Lucy's brow furrowed.

"What about your parents?" Avalon asked.

Neville opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. He laughed. "They wouldn't have said anything about it, probably."

"Avalon, you're ignoring me."

The younger girl and Neville continued to chat, drowning out Lucy. After a few moments, Avalon turned to her sister and smiled. "You know, I never got a chance to thank you for the boots you sent. The thing is, I knew someone who wanted them more than I did. The rubbish bin."

Lucy's face fell visibly. Avalon told Neville she'd see him later and went back to her table to join her friends. Their eyes were wide. While they hadn't been able to _hear_ the conversation, they had been following along the best that they could by reading lips and expressions, and they knew at the very least it had been brutal.

"Ruthless, this one is," Draco said with a laugh. He poured ketchup on his potatoes.

But not everyone was as impressed by Avalon's actions.

Halfway through the next Potions class while they worked on Forgetfulness Potions, Seamus Finnigan poked her in the arm with his wand—hard—from his spot at the workspace next to her with Daphne.

"That was horrible, what you did to your sister. She was blubbering about it in the Common Room for half the night," he hissed at her.

Daphne rolled her eyes at him as she added Valerian sprigs to her cauldron. "Butt out, Finnigan. It's really not any of your business what happens between Lucy and Avalon. You're not friends with either of them, if I recall."

Finnigan huffed. "If my sister treated me the way you're treating Lucy, I would—"

"But see, it doesn't _matter_ what you would do."

"Do me a favor, Finnigan. Put half as much energy into crushing these mistletoe berries as you put into sticking your nose in everyone's business," snapped Daphne. She thrust the mortar full of berries at him and shoved the pestle into his hand. Silently, but with a reluctant expression, Finnigan began to do as he was told. He turned away from Avalon and read pages from his Potions textbook as he mashed the ingredient.

Avalon smiled in her best friend's direction. It was times like these she wondered how much more difficult her life would be without Daphne in it. _Thank you,_ she mouthed.

Finnigan wouldn't let it go however, and resumed the argument towards the end of class.

"She's your sister! Don't you love her?"

"Argh!" cried Avalon. She raised her wand as they finished the potion. The remaining step was to wave it over the cauldron, a simple task that she took on because Neville was still working on his potions skills.

However, Finnigan running off on one side of her led to distraction, and the next thing everyone in the dungeon knew, there was a humongous cloud of smoke and soot in the air and covering every available surface. It was a déjà vu moment as potion had splashed out of the cauldron spilled onto the floor. Once again, poor Neville found himself caught in the crossfire of a potions mishap.

"Gran? What's happening? Where am I?"

 _Well, at least our Forgetfulness Potion works._

In an instant, Professor Snape was upon them, black beetle eyes glinting. "Are you really _that_ incompetent, Miss Steele, that a simple Forgetfulness Potion is beyond your level of ability? Your weekend will be spent in detention with me, I'm afraid."

Daphne raised her hand politely. "But Professor, Finnigan started it! It wasn't Avalon's fault."

"Ah, don't worry, I've got plenty of work for the both of them in the dungeons. Mr. Finnigan can find his way to the dungeons this weekend as well. And I'll be deducting five points from Gryffindor," Snape added.

Potter and Weasley were prepared to fight this verdict. It probably didn't seem fair to them that the Gryffindor would be losing house points while the Slytherin would not be. However, their protests died in their throats as Neville started up again, concerned that he was in a strange place with no recollection of how he came to be there.

"Where are you, Gran? Who are all of you people?"

"You two get full marks on your Forgetfulness Potion," Snape looked around at the students until his eyes settled onto Neville who was walking up to various students and studying their faces, trying to get a feel for their identities. "Will someone please take Longbottom to the Hospital Wing? _Again?_ "

Avalon stood up and took him by the arm. "Who are you? Why are you touching me?"

"Come on, mate, careful. Watch your step now."

They hobbled off in the direction of the Hospital Wing. Avalon laughed to herself as she imagined what Madam Pomfrey would say when she saw her most frequent patron. The last time he had been there (some of the Slytherins had cast a terrible Jelly-Legs Jinx on him in the corridor and he had fallen down two different moving staircases) the matron had joked about creating his own quarters in the Hospital Wing since he was in so often.

"This is your fault."

Finnigan rolled his eyes as he scrubbed the cauldrons in the Potions dungeons without magic. Avalon was in the storeroom, her voice muffled from inside as she organized the ingredients since the Weasley twins had made a bit of a mess looking for mashed Flobberworms the day before.

He sighed. "You were the one who messed up the potion. You made the explosion."

"And tell me, Finnigan, how many things have _you_ blown up this week alone?" Avalon responded. "Besides, if you hadn't been nagging me like my mother while I was trying to cast the spell, none of this would have happened."

"Excuse me if one of us cared about your sister's feelings."

Avalon scoffed. "You didn't actually care. You just didn't want to hear her crying all night long in the Gryffindor common room."

Finnigan was silent. He tried to carefully hide the fact that he was pouting, putting in extra force in scrubbing the cauldrons. No one spoke for about ten minutes, until there was a crash and loud, blood curdling scream from the storeroom. A cloud of thick, dark gray smoke began to billow out from the doorway, and Avalon came out coughing.

"We seem… to have a… problem."

"No kidding," Finnigan responded with a whistle. He flapped his hands in the direction of the door to clear out the smoke. He hesitated to hide the edge of concern in his voice, and paused before asking, "Are you all right? What happened in there?"

"I was trying to stack some of the ingredient jars and I dropped a couple. Did you know certain magical components cause explosions when they mix?"

Finnigan nodded. "Like Chemistry."

"What's Chemistry?" Avalon asked. She furrowed her brow at the boy and his odd terminology.

"It's muggle science. You can mix a bunch of different liquids and materials together— they're called elements—and they have chemical reactions. It's pretty cool. If I wasn't a wizard I would have wanted to learn more about it," Finnigan nodded.

Avalon's sneer deepened. "You're a muggleborn?"

"Half and half, actually. My dad's a muggle. He had a bit of a nasty shock when he found out my mum's a witch."

The smoke had finally vaporized. She grabbed a broom from another cupboard since they weren't allowed to use magic and disappeared into the storeroom again. "You know, I just asked if you were muggleborn. I didn't need your entire life story," she said.

"Blood status isn't everything, you know. Having muggle blood isn't as bad as you think," Finnigan responded.

"Having dirty blood, you mean? Yeah, I'll take your word for it."

"Look, let's just get this done, _your majesty_. You can go back to your life and I can go back to mine. We don't have to interact while we're cleaning," Finnigan said. "I'd rather not spend more time than necessary talking to arrogant pricks like you."

Avalon laughed haughtily. "Done and done."

They went back to silence, both eleven-year-olds fuming, unable to believe the other one.

 **A/N: Hey guys, Cristy here. Sorry, finals week just finished so I wasn't able to update as frequently. BUT it's officially summer vacation, so I will definitely be more consistent with the chapters now. First year is almost coming to a close, and with second year, more changes will come. I can't wait to progress this story further. Please leave a review if you're enjoying the story! You readers are what make writing worthwhile. See you later. Also, I don't own Harry Potter (obviously).**


	8. First Year: The End-of-Year Feast

The weekend after exams, Draco was in the best mood he had been in all year, but then, so was the entire house. Gryffindor had lost the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw thanks to Potter being in the hospital wing. Slytherin was going to win the House Cup, and everything seemed right with the world. Well, almost everything.

"Did you guys hear why Harry's in the hospital wing?" Theo asked at breakfast with a mouthful of ketchup and potatoes.

"Mouth closed, please," Blaise responded. He grimaced and handed Theo a napkin to wipe the ketchup dribble off his chin.

Theo swallowed his food and put down his fork. "There's this rumor going around that he fought Professor Quirrell in a secret corridor of the school. Well, the corridor isn't exactly a hidden secret, just forbidden. You know that corridor Dumbledore told us to avoid at the beginning of the year? That's the one."

"Potter fought Quaking Quirrell? I don't think that would send anyone to the hospital wing," Daphne snorted. "Did the stench of Quirrell's turban knock him unconscious?"

"I heard that too," said Tracey Davis from the end of the table. She had an awful habit of joining conversations and frightening the people there, since no one ever saw her walk up to them. This time was no different, and Theo jumped. "Except Quirrell wasn't alone. He had help from You-Know-Who. Apparently, he was attached to the back of Quirrell's head."

"Impossible! Potter killed him. You all know the story."

Avalon reached over Draco sitting next to her and grabbed the jug of orange juice. "I believe it. I mean… I don't know. The Dark Lord, he was a super powerful wizard. It seems unlikely that a year-old baby would be able to kill him."

Theo nodded in agreement, but Daphne shook her head. "However it happened, You-Know-Who is gone for good. Even if he wasn't before, somehow, Potter seems to have a lucky streak when it comes to dark wizards."

The others murmured in response, and resumed eating breakfast. They could feel Draco's good attitude deflating as they had talked about Potter. He soon forgot all about Potter, however, when he remembered that it was the day of the end-of-term feast, and Slytherin would be taking home the House Cup. Metaphorically, of course, since it would spend the next school year sitting in Professor Snape's office. They ran off back to the dungeons to begin packing. The train would be leaving a week from Saturday, and even though it was only Monday, they didn't want to wait until the last minute and stay up all night. While in the dormitory, the girls started packing up their books, parchment, and quills. It only made sense. There was no use for their school supplies anymore since they had finished exams and were just waiting for the results to come back on Wednesday.

"I wonder how much Blaise is still freaking out over the Charms exam," Avalon said. She clambered under Daphne's bed to find _The Standard Book of Spells._ "He probably got at least an 'Acceptable.' Have you seen my lucky quill?"

"Do you know where anything is?" Daphne asked, smiling.

At that moment, Pansy sauntered in from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her damp hair and a scowl on her pug-like face. "Congratulations, girls. You both probably managed to get 'Troll' marks on all your exams. Which is fitting, since you're both trolls. By the way, Avalon, I wish you had done a better job of cleaning up after the Christmas holidays. The place still smells like dungbombs."

"You're right, as usual, Pansy. It sure does," said Avalon, flopping onto the bed with the latest edition of _Teen Witch Weekly._

"What's that supposed to mean?" When she didn't get a response, Pansy rolled her eyes in Avalon's direction and went to her trunk. Once the lid was off, she visibly recoiled. An awful stench—an awfully _familiar_ stench—filled her nostrils. Daphne grinned at Avalon, both girls wearing nose plugs suddenly. The expression of pure horror was evident on Pansy's face. She stared down at the contents of her trunk and her face crumpled. "Y-you ruined it!" she cried, whirling on Avalon and Daphne. She pulled out her wand and aimed it at them, her eyes flickering dangerously between the two.

Avalon pulled out her wand as well. Daphne, on the other hand, held out her hands to Pansy and began to walk towards her. "What's ruined Pansy?" she asked, using the same voice Avalon remembered hearing whenever Daphne tried to reason with her nine-year-old sister Astoria.

Pansy reached into the trunk—not caring about the dungbombs strewn in there, apparently—and pulled out a book, soiled by the dungbombs. She cracked it open carefully and removed a creased picture. The people in the portrait were smudged, all of them grimacing at being covered in the mess. She held out the picture to them.

"I'm good," said Avalon, taking a step back instinctively.

Daphne glared at her, and gingerly took the picture from Pansy examining it. There were two girls in it, one was obviously a much younger Pansy. The girl with her arms tightly wrapped around Pansy shared the same harsh features and dark hair. There definitely was a family resemblance. "Is this your—"

"My sister."

No one spoke for a few minutes. Surprisingly, Pansy was the first to do so. "She would have been a fifth year now," she said finally. "But when we were younger, she caught a bad case of Dragon Pox."

Daphne's brow furrowed. "There's a cure for that."

"I know, but my parents would spend months at a time away, in meetings or on vacation, it was all the same to me. I used to make up excuses in my letters, lies to get them to come home. The cat was pregnant, my sister was pregnant, the house elves were sick, the house was on fire. After a while, they stopped coming when I called. I thought that when they heard that she had Dragon Pox they would come rushing home, but…"

"They didn't believe you," said Avalon quietly.

From across the room, Tracey added, "The boy who cried wolf." The other girls looked at her with confusion etched across their faces. She shook her head, waved them away, and went back to the picture she was drawing.

Pansy nodded. "By the time they finally came home, it had gotten too far. We took her to St. Mungo's, but there wasn't anything the mediwitches could do. Sometimes when I miss her, I have to remember it was my fault she died. It was my fault my parents didn't believe me when I told them she was sick. I keep the picture in my trunk for safekeeping, and as a reminder."

"And we ruined it," Daphne finished. "I'm sorry Pansy. We're sorry."

"I'm not," mumbled Avalon, but she had a strange look on her face, one that Daphne had never seen before, and she had been experiencing Avalon's odd facial expressions for nearly her entire life. Fortunately, Pansy didn't hear her.

"Look, this doesn't change anything," said Pansy. She wiped her misty eyes and straightened up over her trunk. "We're enemies. We hate each other. I don't want you to treat me any differently than you would have otherwise. No mushy stuff, all right?"

Avalon nodded and made her way to the door. "Trust me, I still hate you. A lot."

And Pansy grinned widely, her tears forgotten.

But Pansy's story had affected Avalon more than she would have liked for Pansy to know. She ran out of the common room and began the familiar path throughout the corridors. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the early days of first year, when she and her friends would get lost just trying to make her way to breakfast.

"How may I help you, dear?"

Avalon skidded to a stop at the portrait of a fat lady. "I need to get into the Gryffindor Common Room."

The portrait laughed flamboyantly. "First things first, I don't let anyone into the common room without a password. And besides, silver and green? You seem to be wearing the wrong house colors to use this entrance. Move it along, Slytherin girl."

"But please, I—"

"Come on then, Dean," said a voice from around the corner. "I need to get a new tie."

Finnigan and his best friend Dean Thomas joined Avalon in front of the portrait. He was holding a tie decked out in scarlet, gold, and whatever color you would call scorch marks, but his eyes didn't leave Avalon's face. "Steele."

"Listen, Finnigan, I know we're not exactly the best of friends, but I really need to talk to my sister, and the portrait won't let me in," Avalon said, her eyes pleading with him. "It's important."

Something that could almost be considered the ghost of a smile flickered across Finnigan's lips. "You need to talk to Lucy?"

"Stuff it, Finnigan."

"Are you going to apologize for being such a twat? Are you going to tell her you forgive her? And how much you love her?" Finnigan folded his hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes at Avalon.

"I said, stuff it!"

Finnigan shrugged. "Suit yourself. Let's go Dean. Maybe you'll get lucky, and Lucy will just wander out. Although, I believe she's reading a book in the common room. Or maybe she's fulfilling her Head Girl duties and stopping the Weasley twins from doing something dangerous. I'm not sure, but it could be hours before she—"

"Okay, okay, fine," said Avalon with a growl. "What do you want?"

"To torture you."

Well. At least he was honest about his intentions. But after a few more moments of agony, Finnigan and Thomas whispered the password to the fat lady and disappeared into the hole that Avalon imagined led to the cacophony of scarlet and gold that was the Gryffindor common room. It couldn't have been five minutes later when the portrait moved out of the way once more and Lucy stepped through gingerly. She looked surprised to see Avalon standing there waiting for her with a sheepish look on her face.

They looked at each other for a few long moments. "Lucy," Avalon began. "I'm sorry I've been so awful to you. If you want to spend time with Charlie, I'm going to learn to be okay with that. It's not my place to be upset that you want to be happy. And I loved the boots you got me for Christmas. I never threw them away. I would never do that to you."

"No, I'm sorry," Lucy interrupted. "You had every right to be cross with me. I was really looking forward to a Hogwarts castle Christmas with you, and I let a boy get in the way of that. No matter what, you'll always be my sister. I love you."

"I love you too."

They hugged. From behind them, there was a sniffling sound and a honking as someone blew their nose. The two girls turned around and saw the fat lady portrait crying at the sweet moment. Lucy laughed first, and Avalon joined in. It was nice. It was just like old times.

That night at dinner, the Slytherin table was rowdier than ever. They were all so excited to have won the House Cup. They pointed eagerly at the decorations. Everything was decked out in silver and green, and there was even a huge banner with the Slytherin serpent on it covering the wall behind the staff table.

Blaise, who was normally cool and nonchalant, was practically bouncing up and down in his seat like a little kid on Christmas Eve. "The eighth year in a row that Slytherin's won the House Cup. That's just so impressive. What a great lot we are, huh?"

A hush fell over the Great Hall.

"Okay, don't all agree with me at once," he said, his voice a bit miffed.

"It's not you," said Draco. He nudged Blaise and pointed towards the door. "Look!" Potter walked in, late as usual, and made his way to the Gryffindor table and Granger and Weasley. Everyone lost interest in the boy-who-lived-and-then-defeated-Voldemort-again-and-also-a-stuttering-professor-with-a-turban and went back to their own conversations.

Dumbledore stood up and began to speak. "Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand as thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

The Slytherins banged their fists on the table, stomped their feet, high-fived each other, and cheered loudly. Draco began to bang his goblet onto the table and screamed. Avalon put her hand on his shoulder to calm him, but the noise was infectious. Unless you were Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or a staff member, of course.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore continued. His eyes twinkled. "However, recent events must be taken into account. Ahem, I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes."

"Oh no," muttered Draco. "Oh no, no, no, this is _not_ happening."

The room was extremely still. They didn't dare to move. The smiles at the Slytherin table had already begun to fade, but by this point, Crabbe and Goyle were practically sobbing, and no extra points had been awarding yet.

"First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

While the Gryffindors began to holler, Theo placed his head onto the table with a thud, moaning loudly. Daphne, on his right side, put a hand on his back and rubbed it soothingly, even though she was barely managing to maintain her composure. "That's not a real category for points. What's happening?" Millicent Bulstrode hissed from the down the table. For once, Avalon agreed with her.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Draco stood up and waggled his hands in Dumbledore's direction. "What does that even mean? 'Cool logic in the face of fire?' Is that a metaphor? Some sort of inside joke? Was there _real_ fire? Stop awarding vague points to the Gryffindors! My father will hear about this." The last part was said to his friends as a quiet pout as Blaise yanked him back into his seat, a look of horror on his own face.

Daphne leaned into the table, her voice a frantic whisper. "Gryffindor's up by a hundred. They're only sixty points behind us, now," she said. "But there's no way Dumbledore would—"

"Third, to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points!"

Jaws dropped as low as the Slytherins' hearts. Draco popped out of his seat again and glared in the direction of Dumbledore. "But Gryffindors are _supposed_ to have nerve and courage. That's their whole thing! Why don't you award points to me for being cunning, or give Susan Bones some loyalty points? Yes, let's assign Terry Boot a couple hundred points for his wit. This is a great idea. Oh wait, it isn't!" Once again, Blaise pulled Draco back down, but it was no use.

"I just don't get it," mumbled Theo. He furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "He awarded Gryffindor so many points that Gryffindor and Slytherin are tied now. We can't have a tie for the House Cup, right? Why would he do that?"

Avalon could feel tears welling in her eyes. "Because it's not a tie. Gryffindor's going to win."

"No way."

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence the room. He smiled broadly at the students. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

The Gryffindor table was a din of chaos. Students were on the floor, and Avalon couldn't see Neville beneath the crowd of people hugging him. She wanted to be proud of her friend, to congratulate him for finally winning a point since she remembered him lamenting about how he did nothing but lose points for his house, but she was furious at him for standing up to anyone. After all, every other time, Neville was a pushover. What was different about that time? Even the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin while the latter house mourned.

"We need a little change of decoration."

Theo screamed in pain as the silver and green became scarlet and gold, and the snake became a lion.

"How sad, an adder crushed under the heel of a lion," said Tracey Davis, who seemed to have appear out of nowhere. "It's almost ironic, since we're silver and they're gold, and silver is traditionally second place while gold is usually first. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. That's us," she added. "We're the mighty. Or at least we were before Gryffindor won the House Cup."

The students around her glared, and Tracey shrugged and animatedly began talking to Millicent Bulstrode. Pansy stared blankly off into space with an empty look in her eyes.

As the five first year friends sat with dejected faces and folded arms, Draco sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but his friends all finished his sentence. "STUPID POTTER!" Avalon caught Neville's eye across the room, and he waved wildly, both a grin and a look of complete and utter shock plastered across his face. She waved back, with much less enthusiasm. He turned and went back to his conversation with Weasley, who looked as though he could have kissed Neville at any moment.

Usually they all loved feasts, but for this one even dessert tasted sour.

"You know, there's always next year."

"I doubt it'll be any better."

Avalon stared down at Neville's Potions grade as she stood in front of his compartment on the Hogwarts Express. She had chosen not to go inside since he was sitting with Potter, Weasley, Granger, Thomas, and Finnigan. He was the only person she encountered who had gotten a Dreadful mark on an exam, but at least he wasn't disappointed since he had been expecting a Troll.

"Although I feel a bit better since your Herbology exam grade leaves a bit to be desired as well," Neville said. He laughed awkwardly and they handed the final papers back to the rightful owners.

"Well it would have been a thousand times worse if you hadn't helped me this year, you know. So, thanks for that," she told him. And it was true. By the end of the term, although her Herbology score was 'Poor,' it would have been Dreadful without his help.

"Same to you. After all what are friends for?"

"Take care of yourself this summer, yeah Nev?" Avalon said.

He nodded. "You too, Avalon." They hugged in the quick, chaste way that eleven-year-olds of the opposite gender tend to hug, and Avalon tried to ignore the retching sounds Finnigan was making from inside the compartment. She returned to her Slytherin friends and he returned to his Gryffindor ones. It was going to be a good summer.

The ride back to King's Cross was extremely similar to their first ride to Hogwarts, except Draco was with them instead of sitting in a compartment Crabbe and Goyle (he made the wise decision to switch in the middle of their farting contest, and had asked Pansy to keep an eye on them when he left), Blaise had finally finished the first book in the _Enchanted Encounters_ series and spent the ride reading the second one, and Theo was boring them all with bad jokes he had found in a book behind a couch in the common room.

"There's a reason someone abandoned that," Daphne said, plugging her ears after the seventh consecutive pun.

Avalon fiddled with her robe sleeve. "You know, it's okay that we didn't win the House Cup. After all, we're going to think back on this moment when we win next year and it will make it that much sweeter."

"Tripe," Draco scoffed. "I would still enjoy next year's victory even if we had won this year."

Theo agreed with his roommate. "Me too. Anyway, guys, listen to this next joke. It's a really good one."

Fortunately, no one had to listen to Theo's "good one," because right then the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station and everyone was hurrying about to gather belongings and give out their last-minute goodbyes.

"Thank Merlin," Blaise whispered to no one and everyone.

Lucy had already found their parents when Avalon stepped off the train. She continued talking to some of her seventh-year friends but pointed in the direction of the Steeles so Avalon could locate them as well.

Avalon turned to her friends. "You're all going to write over the summer?"

"Right," said Theo.

They groaned, and Draco punched him in the arm—hard. Then he smiled and shook the other boy's hand, as if this action made up for the throbbing pain in Theo's arm. Daphne shook her head and hugged Avalon tightly. "You're coming over this summer, aren't you? I'll need all the help I can get to prepare for Quidditch tryouts next year."

"I'll help, but my feet are staying firmly on the ground, thanks." They laughed.

After saying goodbye to the boys, and waving to Neville and the stern-looking woman she assumed to be his Gran that she spotted across the train station, Avalon joined Lucy and their parents. Mrs. Steele enveloped her in a bear hug. "My precious darling! You've gotten so tall. I want to hear all about your school year. Tell mummy everything," she cooed.

"Hello, Avalon," Mr. Steele said, his voice as welcoming as ever.

"All right there, Father?"

He nodded, then apparated away without another word to his wife or his daughters. Lucy shrugged and did the same after a moment. Mrs. Steele held out her arm to her daughter. "You mustn't mind your father, dear. You know he loves you." And Avalon nodded because it was the right thing to do, but her mind was elsewhere as she felt the familiar tug behind her navel.

She couldn't wait for the summer to begin.

 **A/N: Well, this is the end of Avalon's first year. This chapter is a little bit long. It was originally going to be split but I couldn't find a fitting place to cut it since the contents of this chapter all focus on the end of the year. Anyway, there will be a chapter (or two, it depends) chronicling her summer vacation and then second year will begin. New faces, new friends, new teachers, and new problems. Thank you for following me this far on Avalon's journey, but this is not the end. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, and an update will be on its way soon! Love you guys!**


	9. Summer: The Burrow

"No," Avalon said. She folded her arms firmly and sat down on Lucy's bed. "I'm not doing it. I refuse, end of story."

The first month of Avalon's summer vacation had gone smoothly. It wasn't as much fun as the summer of 1990, the year before she had started her Hogwarts career, when the Greengrasses had taken Daphne, her sister Astoria, Theo, Blaise and Avalon to the Quidditch World Cup. Nothing beat watching Scotland lose so badly to Canada, but she had still had a blast on a break from school with her friends.

The week after the train had taken them to King's Cross Station, Avalon had celebrated her 12th birthday. Her parents had taken her to a fancy restaurant in London's premier wizarding city, and she had eaten a good meal and gone on a shopping spree. Having wealthy parents came with perks.

Mr. and Mrs. Steele hadn't been traveling much over the summer, but they spent most their days at work for extremely long periods of time, and since Lucy had gone back to visit Charlie in Romania for the beginning half of the summer, Avalon had had a free for all. During the day, she'd invite her friends over to hang out, and she would swear the house elves to secrecy. She had even spent an afternoon having tea with Neville and his gran at the woman's invitation, because his gran wanted to meet the friend that had taken up many his letters home. Augusta Longbottom's forehead puckered when she shook Avalon's hand, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded a firm head at the girl, even going as far as smiling faintly in her direction later in her visit.

But Avalon's carefree summer days were quickly coming to a halt.

"Do you remember at the end of term last year, when you came to my common room and we had a teary sister moment, and you promised me that you would learn to accept me being with Charlie and other mushy sister things?" Lucy asked. She leaned in the doorway of Avalon's room as the younger girl read the book Blaise had given her for Christmas.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going," answered a wary Avalon, "But yes, I do remember that."

Lucy entered the room and sat down on Avalon's bed next to her. "Well, I have a proposition for you. The best way for you to do that for me would be if you went and spent a few days at the Burrow with the Weasleys."

"The Burrow? What is the _Burrow_?"

"That's what the Weasleys' home is called. It's such a picturesque little place, and they're all so nice and you would get to know Charlie's family like I did. It would be wonderful, especially if one day Charlie and I were to—"

Avalon held up her hands. "I'm going to stop you right there, Lucy. There's no way I'm spending a single minute with Weasley and his family. And second of all, why in Merlin's name is their house called the _Burrow?_ What are they, gophers?"

"You're not being very nice."

"I'm not feeling very nice."

Lucy wrapped her arms around her sister. "Look, Mum and Father hate the idea of me dating a Weasley. Especially father. They think they're horrible blood traitors. But because they're my family, they find my happiness extremely important. Mum event spoke to Mrs. Weasley for three minutes at King's Cross after my fifth year. Even though she doesn't like it, they try. Why can't you do the same?"

"Because being civil at a train station is not equal to spending time in… the Weasley Den. I'd be surrounded by them. I wouldn't be able to escape because I'd be at Weasley Central Station. No. I'm not doing it. I refuse, end of story," Avalon answered. She opened her book again, hoping Lucy would get the memo that the discussion was over.

"Charlie and I have already spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about it. Her children are willing to give you a chance."

Avalon closed her book once more and turned to face Lucy with a look of sheer disbelief on her face. "You're telling me, that Mrs. Weasley told her children I would be staying with them, and Ron Weasley said 'Oh goody! Golly gee, I can't wait to give her a chance! We hate each other and everything, but maybe now we'll be the best of friends?' That is pure tripe, Luce, and you know it."

Lucy bit her lip in that way she did when she was caught in a lie. "Well, maybe they weren't _all_ thrilled, but you're not thrilled either so that means that you all will have something to bond over!"

"Like prisoners who share adjoining cells."

"That's the spirit!" Lucy cried. "So, you'll do it?"

"When hell freezes over." Avalon began reading her book.

They sat in silence for a few minutes more. Lucy folded her hands and twiddled her thumbs, then smiled sweetly at her sister. "I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice. If you don't do this for me, I'll tell Father and Mum that you've been inviting your friends over while they were gone _and_ that it was Theo who broke Mum's favorite vase. The expensive one from the art auction in Milan? I'm sure you know the vase I'm talking about," Lucy said.

"The house elves told you?" Avalon asked.

"You told them not to tell your parents. You forgot that I'm not your parent."

Avalon rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you nag so much I think you're mum sometimes." She sighed heavily, and put her head in her hands. "Fine, I'll go. When is this visit to the molehill even taking place?"

"Tomorrow," Lucy answered. "You can Floo by yourself at eleven, or I can apparate you there if you want."

"Floo. I'm not spending another moment with my friendly neighborhood traitor," Avalon snapped. She got out of bed and found her trunk in the closet and emptied it out, throwing clothes into it.

"I had a feeling you'd agree to this," said Lucy. "And by the way, Mrs. Weasley understands you and Ron aren't the best of friends. Don't go around starting trouble, all right?"

Avalon looked at her sister with a mixture of exasperation and admiration. "You know, with a cunning streak like that, I'm surprised you weren't in Slytherin. I still hate you for this, though. I'm furious."

Lucy only laughed.

"Now that I think about it, you're a legal adult now. You've graduated Hogwarts and everything. Don't you have future plans? Better things to do than hang around at home and blackmail your younger sister? Anything going on?" Avalon asked. She raised her eyebrow at Lucy in an accusing manner.

"Excuse you, I happen to have a job lined up as an intern in the Ministry of Magic, but I'm taking a year off. For travel, learning more about who I am, and the like. I'm still finding myself," Lucy argued, chuckling some more.

"Well, you finding yourself outside of my room would be lovely." So Lucy left.

ASLS

"Hello, hello, hello, dear!"

When Avalon stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow, she was greeted by the last thing she expected to encounter—a hug.

A short, plump, redheaded witch Avalon knew to be Mrs. Weasley burst out of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Avalon. It took the girl a few moments to hug the woman back because of the sheer shock of the situation. It was strange for her to be hugged by a woman she barely knew. Sure, she had met Mrs. Weasley before on a few occasions—Lucy was a persistent girl—but she had never received a hug.

"Welcome to our home. When Lucy and Charlie suggested that you come and stay with us, I was thrilled—Ginny and I are a bit outnumbered when it comes to girls in the house. Have you met Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She shouted in the direction of the stairs. "Ginny! Come down here a second!"

A small freckled girl with the same flaming red hair as her other family members appeared at the top of the stairs and peered down. Mrs. Weasley beckoned her over and Ginny floated down the steps.

"Ginny, do you know Avalon?"

"We've met," Ginny said. She looked up to meet Avalon's eyes and they firmly shook hands.

Mrs. Weasley clasped her hands together and smiled at the two girls. "Ginny's starting at Hogwarts this September. My children are all growing up." She paused to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Now, Ginny, be a dear and take Avalon up to your room and let her get herself settled. She'll be staying in there with you, and I'll bring the camp bed up a little bit later." The woman looked around the living room. "Where are your brothers?"

"The twins are out in the garden, Percy's holed up in his room getting a head start on his summer homework, and Ron is…" Ginny gave a wry laugh. "Ron is hiding."

Avalon snorted. _Lucky bloke._

The woman raised an eyebrow in Avalon's direction. "Show her around, will you Ginny? Oh, and you girls be sure to pop in on Ron on your way to Ginny's room and let him know that Avalon's here, all right? I haven't seen him all day and I want to make sure he's still alive and well."

"Yes mum."

"Yes ma'am."

Mrs. Weasley disappeared back into the kitchen, singing a Celestina Warbeck song under her breath.

Ginny waved her arms around her. "Well, this is the sitting room. That's the kitchen. Outside there's a garden and an orchard and a garage and things like that. Outdoor things," Ginny said. She led Avalon up the stairs. There were two doors, and Ginny opened and entered the smaller of the two. "This is my bedroom," she said.

The first thing Avalon noticed about Ginny's room was the size. It was smaller than Avalon was used to, but there were posters of the Weird Sisters and Holyhead Harpies Quidditch Captain Gwenog Jones plastered around the walls. She was impressed by Ginny's taste in music. "You like the Harpies?" Avalon asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm more of a Puddlemere United fan myself."

"Do you play?" Ginny asked.

Avalon shook her head. "Not in the least. I love Quidditch, but I'm content just watching it. I'm actually terrified of flying."

"Well, I love it."

Ginny sat down on her bed and watched while Avalon put her trunk down and rummaged through it. "My room used to be Charlie's, before he started school. Now he shares Bill's room next door when they're home. Bill's my oldest brother. He's in Egypt. I assume you know that Charlie's in Romania? Your sister came with us to—"

"Yeah, I know. Over the Christmas holiday." Avalon cut Ginny off. The younger girl seemed a bit taken aback but shrugged it off.

"Come on," Ginny said after a moment. She led Avalon out of her room and up more stairs to the next floor. "This is Percy's room. I wouldn't go in there if I were you because he's a bit testy and extremely boring. This one here is the twins' room, and I wouldn't go in there either if I were you because they're always experimenting in there and sometimes they're in need of a test subject. _Always_ say no."

"What sort of things do they experiment with?" Avalon asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know exactly. They mix different ingredients together, and sometimes there are explosions and stuff but I'm not sure what they're doing. I think they're making candy, and I think it's supposed to have magical properties. You didn't hear it from me, though. They're hiding it from mum and dad."

"They mix things together and it makes explosions?"

"Uh huh." As the girls stood on the landing outside the door, a small _boom_ could be heard from inside the room.

Avalon ran her hand through her hair, still listening to the happenings inside Fred and George's room. Suddenly she laughed to herself as something clicked in her memory. A conversation she had had during the school year. "I get it," she mumbled under her breath. "It-it's like Chemistry…"

"What's Chemistry?" Ginny asked.

"Never mind."

They continued up the stairs and eventually reached Ron room, which was in the attic. "Look, I know your mum suggested we go and stop by Weas—erm, I mean— _Ron's_ room and let him know I'm here and everything, but that's really not necessary. I'm sure it would be best if he and I kept our distance."

"I don't know. Mum told us to, and you'll learn a thing or two about what happens when you don't listen to my mum. She's very sweet usually, but if you cross her…" Ginny shuddered. "She is a force to be reckoned with." Ginny knocked on the door three times. There was a shuffling sound from within, until finally Ron pulled open the door and stuck out his head.

"What do you want?" he asked, pointedly making eye contact with Ginny and pretending that Avalon wasn't there.

Ginny explained her mother sending the two girls up to check in on Ron. He sighed loudly in their direction. "Thanks for stopping by, but I'm a little bit preoccupied with avoiding Slytherins arseholes who seem to have invaded my house."

"Great to see you too, weasel," Avalon said, rolling her eyes at the boy. He slammed the door in her face in response. "As _fun_ as this Burrow tour has been, I actually liked it better in your room Ginny. Want to go back?"

"Sure."

From the bottom of the stairs, they heard Mrs. Weasley's shout: "Kids! Wash up for lunch!"

The door to Ron's room opened once more, and he ran out and hurried down the stairs and into the bathroom to wash his hands. Avalon shook her head in disbelief. She had heard rumors of his appetite around Hogwarts, but she had never seen it or its side effects in action. Ginny had nearly been plowed down in his rush to get to the food.

Ron and the twins were already seated by the time Ginny and Avalon reached the kitchen. Ginny quickly grabbed a chair next to Fred, while Avalon hung back in the doorway, taking in the unfamiliar sights.

Mrs. Weasley had prepared a spread of chicken and ham pies, cauliflower, boiled potatoes, and homemade ice cream. Avalon's eyes widened. Her mother couldn't even boil water without burning it, since the house elves did anything that resembled housework—even taking care of the children. The sight of a home-cooked meal cooked by a human mother for her family was extremely strange and new, albeit delicious smelling.

"Come on then, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. She beckoned to the empty chair between Ginny and Ron at the table.

Avalon sat down, and in three minutes she was in heaven. "Mrs. Weasley, this is amazing!" She felt like Theo as she talked with her mouth full of the delicious food.

The woman smiled at her. "If you'd like, I'll send the recipes home with you. They're very simple, and your mother could make them for you as well." Mrs. Weasley reached for Avalon's plate and heaped another spoonful of potatoes onto it.

"That's okay. My mother doesn't cook, and the house elves aren't very keen on following recipes. I mean, they'll do it if I _tell_ them to, of course, but I'd rather just let them…" Avalon's voice trailed off, and she looked around the table. The Weasleys were staring at her with expressions of disbelief.

"Your mum doesn't cook?" George asked. "Does she bake then?"

"No. And my father doesn't either, if that's what you were going to ask."

Fred frowned. "Well then, how—" he stopped abruptly after a stern look from Mrs. Weasley across the table and the meal continued in awkward silence as Avalon's face turned a shade of red to rival Ginny's pigtails.

She looked down at her plate and poked her cauliflower florets with her fork. All of a sudden, her appetite was gone.

Avalon's parents were wealthy. Her life was comfortable, extravagant even. Anything she wanted, she got. She thought back to all the times she and her friends had insulted this family for being blood-traitors, for being poor, and for having more children than they could probably afford. But suddenly, they were pitying _her._ To the Weasley family, who had spent the earlier part of lunch laughing and smiling and just generally enjoying each other's company—something the Steeles never did at mealtimes or anytime—over good food, wealth was more than just material possessions.

And as far as they were concerned, she was the poor one.

When they began to clear away the plates, Avalon offered to do the dishes. It was the least she could do.

"No, dear, it's fine. Ron can wash the dishes," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, Avalon wants to do them. You should let her."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at the dark-haired girl. "If you really want to help, then you can do them together. Ginny, how would you like for me to braid your hair? I plucked some beautiful flowers from the garden that would complement you so well." The pair left the kitchen for the sitting room, Fred and George scampered off to who knows where, probably to experiment some more, while Percy vanished up the steps and slammed his door behind him.

Avalon gathered up the plates, cups and bowls while Ron began to fill the sink with water. She joined him with an armful of dishes and he began to wash them while she dried. It was silence, but much more comfortable than the silence that had filled the latter half of lunch.

"Thanks for helping with the dishes," was the first thing Ron said, after what seemed like an eternity of solemn work, as he handed her a wet plate to dry.

"It's the least I could do," she said. At Ron's raised eyebrows Avalon continued. "I've been dreadful to you this past year. I insulted you and your family, and I've just recently discovered that I actually like them very much."

Ron gave a low whistle. "Is Avalon Steele actually apologizing to a _blood traitor?_ Now I've seen absolutely everything. I ought to owl the Daily Prophet about this," he said with a laugh. She punched his arm.

"I'm being serious."

"Well, then, I seriously accept your apology." Ron went back to the pot he was furiously scrubbing.

Avalon punched him again. "Don't you have anything you'd like to apologize for as well? I wasn't the only one who was particularly awful last term, if my memory serves me correctly. You insulted my family as well."

"My rudeness was self-defense," Ron explained, grinning widely. "So, I'm in the clear as far as karma and the universe are concerned."

"Now I remember why I was so dreadful to you."

He handed her another dish. "If you recall, you said you liked my family very much only five minutes ago."

With an eye roll, Avalon took the pot from him and rubbed the cloth across it quickly. "Well, that means I like your mum, Ginny, the twins, and the like. That doesn't mean I like you, you know."

"True," Ron said. "Anyway, I'm sorry too. I guess part of me considered the fact that you might not be half bad ages a while ago, actually. As unlucky as he might be, Neville's a good bloke, and I figured if you were okay with him, then you might not be completely awful. And there's the fact that you were nice to him even when all the other Slytherins weren't. I saw what you did the day Malfoy took Neville's Remembrall. You stood up for him. Harry and I talked about that later that day. We couldn't figure out your game."

"I don't have a game, but I'm definitely swooning now that I've learned that the boy-who-lived and his redheaded sidekick gossiped about me," Avalon said with a laugh.

Ron glared at her. "Cut that out. I'm not his sidekick."

"Sure you are," said Avalon, meaning to be playful but not sensing the edge in Ron's voice. "If Potter's the boy-who-lived, you're the boy-who-lived-in-the-shadow-of-the-boy-who-lived. It just rolls off the tongue, see?"

"Avalon…"

She didn't stop there. "You guys sound like comic book characters. The Adventures of Harry Potter and good old 'What's His Name.' Instead of the Dynamic Duo, the tagline could be: The Dynamic Uno and the Other One."

If you asked Avalon what happened next, she wouldn't be able to tell you for certain. She could only remember realizing that suddenly she was on the floor. The basin of sudsy water was over her head and the front door was slamming and Ron was gone and there was soap in her eyes and it burned.

After wiping her eyes and flushing them at the sink, Avalon realized Ron had stormed out. Leaving the dishes in the sink, Avalon ran out after him, calling his name.

It was a breezy afternoon, and the fact that she was wet from the dishwater didn't help at all. She wrapped her arms around her body to get some added warmth. "Ron? Ron Weasley! Where are you? It's bloody cold out here."

"Language," called Mrs. Weasley from the house. She stuck her head out the window. "If you're looking for Ron, he's probably by the orchard. It's his favorite spot."

"Thank you."

Avalon followed Mrs. Weasley's pointing finger and her advice and soon found the Burrow's orchard, a small paddock surrounded by trees. She also found Ron, who was flying through the air, presumably to blow off steam.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Ron Weasley! I need to talk to you!"

But after four minutes of shouting with nothing but a sore throat and a scratchy voice to show for it, Ron was still circling above her and showing no signs of coming down anytime soon. She heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, Avalon saw Ginny coming towards her from a nearby… outhouse?

The broom in her hand alerted Avalon that the small structure must have been some sort of broom shed.

"You'll have to go up there after him," Ginny said. She held out her broom to Avalon. "I know you hate flying, but I'm sure you want to talk to him, and I know my brother. He'll be up there for hours."

"I can't."

"Didn't you take flying lessons at school? Ron wrote home about the class. He named the people who were awful at flying, and you weren't one of them."

Avalon rolled her eyes. "So, I _can,_ but I can't."

But Ginny didn't listen, and pushed the broom into Avalon's shaking hands. With a deep breath of resolve, the older girl thought back to everything that Madam Hooch had taught them in Flying class. She tried to suppress the memory of Neville falling off his broom and spraining his wrist as she kicked off into the air, screaming internally.

Ron looked surprised to see her. "Aren't you scared of flying?"

"Oh yes, uh huh, terrified," Avalon said. She opened one eye tentatively as she hovered slightly below Ron. _Don't look down. Don't look down. Just look up. Find something to look at,_ she thought. _Look at Ron. Talk to Ron. The sooner you talk to him the sooner you can get back on the ground._ "I came out here because you ran out of the kitchen and poured soapy water on my head. It's much colder out here than it should be, thanks to you."

"Sorry about that." Ron said sheepishly, reddening. He took off his jacket and tossed it down to Avalon. "You just kept saying all that sidekick stuff back in the kitchen and I guess it got inside my head. I couldn't think straight."

"I didn't mean to. Especially not after we'd just started to hate each other less," Avalon said. She buttoned his jacket around her and sighed in the warmth.

Ron slowed his flying speed until he was simply floating. "It's just… I'm the sixth child, and the youngest boy. I'm not the oldest, the funniest, the smartest, the baby, or anything. I'm just Ron. I tend to get skipped over by most people. And then I figured when I got to Hogwarts I'd be able to break out and everything, and… you know, Harry's my best mate, but when the boy-who-lived is around, no one cares about the kid next to him. And then there's Hermione. She's brilliant, and I realized that once again, Ron Weasley had vanished into the bloody shadows. What you were saying just hit a little too close to home."

"Honestly, Ron, if I'd had the slightest idea that's how you felt, I wouldn't have…" her voice trailed off.

"You didn't know." Ron grinned down at her. " _But_ did you know that you've been flying on a broom for nearly ten minutes now without freaking out?"

Avalon looked down at her lap in disbelief. She smiled back. "I guess I completely forgot that I was so far off the ground," she said. "You know, all these years I've been terrified of flying. And while I would never choose to play Quidditch or get on a broom for fun at _all,_ I'm definitely feeling less afraid."

"Will you be trying out for the House Quidditch team, then?"

"Not a chance! I said I'm _less_ afraid, not crazy. Actually, I think I might puke if I stay up here any longer," Avalon said. She tilted the broom down and shot off towards the ground. Ron followed closely and dismounted his own broom.

Ron started to walk towards the broom shed, turning around and walking backwards to face the girl. "If someone had told me a few months back that I would have a conversation with Avalon and not want to gouge my eyes out, I probably would have thought they were off their rocker," he said.

"Gee, thanks."

He held out his hand to her and Avalon studied it curiously. Then she shook it. Ron laughed. "I was actually just reaching for the broom. Unless _you_ want to be the one to go into the dark, smelly broomshed?"

"Oh, right," said Avalon. She handed him the broom.

"I'll be back," Ron said. He disappeared into the broomshed. After a few moments, there was a scream and Ron ran back out, clutching both broomsticks. He was panting heavily. "I s-saw a spider!"

"You saw a _spider?"_

Ron nodded fearfully. With a hopeful smile, he handed Avalon the two brooms. She rolled her eyes and snatched them from him, stomping into the broomshed to put them away. "You definitely owe me one, you big baby," Avalon said. She came back out and brushed her hands together, a cloud of dust coming up.

She noticed Ron pointing at her arm. "What now?"

"There's a… a spider on your shoulder."

Avalon screamed and spun around, slapping at her arm and jumping as she tried to brush off the creature. It wasn't until she heard Ron's laughter that she realized something was amiss. She stopped swiping at the air and glared at him, propping her hands on her hips.

He shrugged. "Gotcha. Who's the big baby now?"

"Getting scared from _seeing_ a spider is a lot different than finding out there's one crawling on you. Speaking of spiders, Weasley, I'd sleep with one eye open tonight if I were you." Avalon gave him her meanest look.

"Back to 'Weasley,' now, are we?" Ron asked. "And I'm not scared of you."

"The monster grip you have on your wand says otherwise."

Without another word, Ron turned and ran back in the direction of the house. Avalon followed, calling after him about how sweet revenge would taste and that it would come when he least expected it.

That night, as Avalon settled onto the camp bed on the floor of Ginny's room, and closed her eyes, she thought about how opposed she had been to the initial idea of spending time with the Weasleys. Avalon promised herself that when she got home, Lucy would never know how much fun she had at the Burrow. A Lucy who knew she was right about something could and would be an extremely unbearable Lucy.

 **A/N: Hey guys, Cristy here with a new GoA update. Second year is about to start and I'm super pumped for what's in store for Avalon and her friends. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but this story spans from Avalon's first year to her fourth. However, I'm just going to add a mild disclaimer, so you don't get the wrong idea from this chapter. Although Ron and Avalon might hate each other slightly less than they did in previous chapters, this story is not AvalonxRon. There will be no AvaRon. Ew, I hated typing that name actually. I have so many regrets from that single word. I don't own Harry Potter, or any characters you recognize from Harry Potter. Please leave a review, and thanks so much for reading this story and sticking with me so far!**


	10. Summer: Flourish and Blotts

When Avalon climbed through the Steele fireplace a week and a half later, her parents and Lucy were sitting at the table eating dinner: Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes, and split pea soup. They looked up at the sound of her entrance.

"Avalon? Is that you?" Mrs. Steele asked. She squinted in the direction of the sitting room as a house elf brought her more hot tea. "Where were you?"

"I was—"

"She was staying at Daphne's again, remember?" Lucy interrupted. The look she gave Avalon quickly alerted the younger girl that Lucy hadn't managed to tell their parents of her trip to the Burrow.

Her father looked momentarily perplexed. "How long have you been gone? We didn't realize you had left."

 _Of course you didn't._ "I've been away for a week and a half, Father _."_ She spoke the last word as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Avalon sat down next to her sister and waited for her favorite house elf Tinkle to bring her a plate of food. Mr. and Mrs. Steele exchanged glances over the Beef Wellington. "Did you have a nice stay at Daphne's then?" Mrs. Steele asked after a few moments. "I've been meaning to have tea with Mrs. Greengrass. We haven't done that in a while."

"It was fine. I had fun."

Mr. Steele snapped his fingers at Misty, another house elf, and she brought him another plate with more food piled high. "While we're on the topic of your friends, Avalon, I spoke with Lucius Malfoy yesterday afternoon, and he told me he has no problem with you travelling to Diagon Alley with the Malfoys next Wednesday."

His daughter frowned into her mashed potatoes. "But… I thought you were taking me to Diagon Alley."

"Something came up. You understand, don't you? I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with the Malfoys," Mr. Steele responded. He sighed, and put down his knife and fork. "You're twelve years old now, far too old to throw temper tantrums."

"This is not a tantrum, Father. I'm conversing. But can't Lucy take me at least?" Avalon asked, trying to keep the whine from her voice as she spoke. Her father hated many things, but whining probably topped the long list.

"I wish I could, kiddo," Lucy said with a sad smile. She pressed her knee against Avalon's under the table in a gesture of sympathy, then she took a long swig of pumpkin juice. "I start my Ministry internship on Monday. If I had been working there for months, I'd love to take off to take you, but I think two days in is a bit soon to be asking for vacation days."

Mr. Steele narrowed his eyes and repeated his earlier statement. "You understand, don't you?"

Avalon swallowed thickly, hoping her family members couldn't hear the sound of the tears forming in her eyes as she pushed her soup around the bowl with the spoon. "Of course, Father." She pushed her chair back from the table and got up without asking to be excused—something that she knew to be a pet peeve of her fathers. Holding back the dam blocking her feelings for only a few moments, Avalon ran up to her room. "I always understand."

She slammed her door and manually locked it. The rage kicked in after the tears had fallen, and she began to rip posters down from their spots on the wall, crumpling them forcefully. Her vision was blurred but all she saw was red. After the posters, the canopy of her four-poster bed was the next to go. She tore the fabric from its post and threw it out the window. With a loud yell, Avalon kicked over her desk chair and started knocking framed pictures off her dresser. The younger Avalons in the photographs widened their eyes in fear as more and more objects were smashed on the floor. All her clothes were pulled off the hangers and strewn everywhere, and the dresser drawers were emptied and overturned by the bed. After stripping her sheets and duvet, Avalon collapsed onto the mattress and began to sob, cries wracking her body as she hugged her knees to her chest in the fetal position.

There was a knock at the door.

"I don't want to see anyone," Avalon sniffed.

The door was pushed open anyway, and Avalon saw Tinkle standing in the doorway with a plate of biscuits and a glass of milk. She looked around at the mess of Avalon's room with sad eyes and held out the plate like a peace offering. "Tinkle noticed that Miss didn't finish her dinner," said the house elf meekly. "And so, she has brought Miss a snack. She knows how much Miss loves her chocolate biscuits."

"Thank you Tinkle. You're the greatest," Avalon said. She picked up a treat and bit into it slowly. "Have a biscuit."

"Oh n-no, Miss, Tinkle could never—"

"I wasn't asking."

Unable to refuse a direct order from her mistress, especially since Avalon's feelings of favoritism towards Tinkle were reciprocated, Tinkle tentatively took a biscuit off the platter and began to nibble at it. A smile broke out across her face as she did so. "Miss, you're so kind to Tinkle, and Tinkle could never repay you."

"You know I hate it when you call me 'Miss,'" said Avalon with her mouth full. She cringed because she felt like Theo. "And you don't need to repay me. It's just nice having someone in this bloody house who wants to hang around me."

"Of course, Miss. Tinkle will always hang around you."

Suddenly, Tinkle gasped and cried out, running around the room in fright. She grabbed the bottom of a broken vase and banged it against her head repeatedly, a welt forming under the ceramic weapon and a trickle of blood dripping down between her eyes. "Tinkle is sorry! You told her not to tell call you 'Miss' and Tinkle has disobeyed. Tinkle must be punished!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay, stop hurting yourself. I don't like it when you do that." Avalon gently wrestled the vase from Tinkle, scooped her up into her arms, and rocked the house elf like an infant until she stopped thrashing. She tore off a corner of the bedsheet and pressed it against Tinkle's head wound.

The house elf splayed out her limbs like a rag doll and sighed. "Mi—ahem—Avalon, are you all right, now?"

Avalon placed Tinkle onto the bed gently and bent down to clean up the mess from her fit. "I'll be fine," she said. "You know my father's policy in this house as well as I do: work takes priority, everything else comes later. I'm used to it by now, sometimes I just forget. But I think I'm okay."

"Good," Tinkle said.

"I'll go to Diagon Alley with the Malfoys," Avalon resigned. She looked sad. "I like Draco, and I have nothing _against_ him. I just was looking forward to school shopping with Father, and when he promised to take me, I got my hopes up. I don't know why. He always does this, Tinkle, and I'll never be good enough for him."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Tinkle," said Avalon. She went back to cleaning up the trashed room. Everything was broken, but she was fine with that. It would serve her father right to have to buy her new things.

ASLS

"And then after we left Peru, I realized it had been in my pocket the entire time!" Draco laughed heartily as he walked through Diagon Alley with Avalon and his father. "Can you believe that? What a plot twist, am I right?"

"Crazy," Avalon muttered.

At this moment, she hated her father for forcing her to spend the day with the Malfoys. She liked Draco, he was fine—most of the time. But when he was with his father, he was even more obnoxious. Always trying to prove himself to the man. Avalon could understand vying for a father's approval, but she hoped she never looked this pathetic trying for it. She rolled her eyes as Draco began another story. His fifth. Consecutive. Story.

Lucius looked down his nose at the boy. "Draco, please, you seem to be boring our guest," he said.

Draco smiled. "Don't worry father. I know Avalon. She loves my stories. In fact, all my friends do. I have lots of friends, Father. Everyone wants to be my friend because I'm so popular. Tell him Avalon," he said. He widened his eyes where his father couldn't see.

"You definitely are… something," said Avalon. She rubbed her temples to soothe the beginnings of a headache.

"Are you and Draco good friends, my dear?"

Avalon turned to Draco and gave him a quick once over, laughing to herself. "I used to find him annoying, but now I suppose we're 'good' friends. That's a very vague term. 'Good' friends." She stopped in the window of Magical Menagerie and peered inside.

Draco elbowed her sharply in the ribcage.

With a calculated look in the girl's direction, Lucius Malfoy led the two twelve-year-old into Flourish and Blotts. Draco read over their school supplies list as they reached the store. "Apparently, whatever witch they got to replace Quirrell this year is a big Gilderoy Lockhart fan," he mused with an eye roll.

"And what's wrong with being a fan of Gilderoy Lockhart?" Avalon asked. She propped her hands on her hips and glared down her nose at Draco. Despite being the same age, she was a head taller than him.

"Nothing, I just—"

But Avalon stalked away from him, and joined the crowed fighting outside the doors to the shop for a chance to get in. Per the sign outside, Gilderoy Lockhart was inside, signing copies of his autobiography, _Magical Me._ "Gilderoy Lockhart is signing copies of _Magical Me?_ If I had known that he'd be here, I would have brought my copy." She looked slightly distressed. "I'll just have to buy a new copy, I suppose. And Daphne and Theo would be furious with me if they found out I didn't get them autographed copies. If only I could get in…" Her voice trailed off as she accidentally elbowed an older witch closer to the door.

"Hold my spot," Avalon called to Draco once they got into the store. While they waited in the Gilderoy Lockhart meet and greet line, she grabbed two sets of Gilderoy's books—it only seemed right for her to bring Draco his schoolbooks since he was holding her place—and _The Standard Book of Spells, Book 2_ for both her and Draco _._ Then she added three copies of _Magical Me_ and found her way back to the line. "I'm back."

Draco looked around for his father, whom he had lost in the crowd of excited witches (and some wizards, but marginally less). "You haven't missed very much. We've moved a meter."

Once they made it to the front of the line, Avalon slammed the three copies of _Magical Me_ on the table in front of Gilderoy Lockhart. She was bouncing up and down on her toes, and stared at his perfect hair… perfect teeth…

"And to whom should I address this, little girl?" Lockhart asked.

"You're even more handsome in person," Avalon muttered, almost in a daze. Draco nudged her ribs sharply. "I mean, make it out to Avalon, please. And those two are to Daphne and Theo." She seemed mortified that she had embarrassed herself like that in front of her hero, but Draco snickered next to her.

Lockhart flashed them an award-winning smile and signed the last book with a flourish. "Have a magical day!" He said. "Next!"

After paying for their books, Draco and Avalon made their way towards the door again.

From the _Magical Me_ line, they heard the voice of Gilderoy Lockhart. "It _can't_ be Harry Potter."

"Of _course_ it's Harry Stupid Potter," Draco muttered under his breath. He folded his arms like a pouting toddler.

Lockhart continued addressing the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time. When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography—which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge. He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me._ He and his schoolmates will in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Avalon screamed along with the rest of the crowd. She grabbed Draco's arm and dug her nails into it, only _a little_ bit jealous that Harry Potter was given the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart free of charge.

"Come on, Avalon. This is a great time for some taunting," said Draco, and she followed him to the opposite side of the room, where Potter was talking to Ginny Weasley. Avalon felt a pit of uneasiness forming in her stomach. They reached the group. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that," Ginny said.

Avalon couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's boldness, but Malfoy was far from pleased about the direction the conversation had taken. His preferred method of annoying Potter consisted of him making witty quips and no one stopping him or retaliating, but that rarely happened.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger joined them.

"Hello, Avalon," Ron greeted. Then he sneered at Malfoy. Granger and Potter seemed surprised at Ron's civility towards Avalon.

Draco looked at the group around him, disgust etched on his face. "Ooh, Avalon, are you on a first-name basis with Weasley? I'll have your father begin to draw up the marriage contract. Have you been tested yet? For any and all diseases in his filthy blood traitor gene pool?"

"Stuff it, Malfoy."

Avalon bit her lip. She had apologized to Ron for being awful. The right thing to do would be to defend him, or at least tell Draco to tone down the rudeness. But there was a part of her that knew the consequences for showing weakness in front of Draco, especially where blood purity was concerned.

"Weasley?" asked Avalon finally. She held her chin high and stuffed her hands into her pockets so they wouldn't be able to tell she was beginning to shake. "Merlin's beard, no. I would never. I have standards, you know."

Ginny's brows knitted together in a mixture of anger in frustration at the girl she had shared a room with only weeks earlier. Ron chuckled and shook his head at her. He opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by Draco.

He looked at the books in Ron's hands. "And I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those," he said, laughing as Ron dropped his books into the cauldron and his cheeks flushed the same color as his hair.

As Ron lunged towards Draco, both Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy found their way to the second years, Mr. Weasley ready to break up the beginnings of a brawl and Mr. Malfoy wishing to begin one with the other man.

"Arthur Weasley." He looked at Mr. Weasley as though he was something on his shoe.

"Lucius."

They continued speaking and Avalon's eyes darted around the store. She waved across the room as if she had spotted a dear old friend and then darted away from the Weasleys and the Malfoys. It was becoming harder and harder to think, and her cheeks reddened as she thought about the way she had treated Ron and Ginny moments before. Her apology to Ron most likely meant nothing now. She wasn't sure how she felt about the "blood traitors."

All her life, Mr. Steele hadn't shown much of an interest in Avalon, unless it was to give her another lesson about those with dirty blood and the scum that chose to associate with them. It was all she had known. Somehow, Lucy had managed to escape from his clutches and find solace in Charlie Weasley, but Avalon felt herself torn. Her parents fought to keep their blood pure and were often cold and distant. The Weasleys cared more about who a person was than the blood that flowed through their veins, and they had welcomed her with open arms. Even knowing who her family was.

Who her father was.

Avalon pretended to be interested in a book she had picked up off the shelf at random while thinking. She glanced at the cover. _Something Magical is Happening to My Body._ She slammed it back onto the shelf with a shudder.

It was all so confusing.

Before spending time with the Weasley family, Avalon had known exactly who she was. She knew what she valued, and she knew who was inferior to her. Biting her fingernail nervously, Avalon glanced back over to the Weasleys and the Malfoys, where it appeared they were still antagonizing one another. When she really thought about it, Avalon knew exactly who was to blame for this.

"I hope you're happy, Lucy."

 **A/N: Yo yo my peeps. This is Cristy, I don't own Harry Potter, leave a review, and all that other good stuff**


	11. Second Year: The Hogwarts Express

**A/N: Hey there, people reading this (if any). I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating. I started this chapter in August but then school started, and then college applications and midterms happened. Yes, that's a crappy excuse, but now that that's all in the past and senior-itis is in full swing, I will be updating far more regularly to this story. This chapter is kind of a filler, it's pretty much just showing how Avalon is beginning to change following her time with the Weasleys, and the choices she's beginning to be faced with (which will play bigger roles later). I don't own any of the characters, settings, events, objects, or ideas you recognize, those all belong to the queen herself, JK Rowling. Without further ado, here is the next chapter of the Gates of Avalon (also I'm thinking about changing the name of the story, so if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them below).**

Sitting in what had become their normal compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Theo, Blaise and Daphne could tell that something was wrong with Avalon. They also knew that she would tell them whatever it was when she was ready, and badgering her would do nothing. So they changed the conversation.

"How was Diagon Alley with your Dad?" Theo asked after a moment.

Daphne groaned loudly, but Theo scooted away from her before she could get a chance to elbow him in the ribs. Avalon didn't respond. She laid her head on the table as Blaise absentmindedly turned the page of the third book in the _Enchanted Encounters_ series.

"He sent me with the Malfoys."

"I'm sorry," said Blaise. "That must have been difficult. I know how Draco can get when he's with his dad."

As if summoned by Blaise's words, the compartment door opened and Draco walked in, trailed by Crabbe and Goyle. The two larger boys squeezed themselves in, one sitting next to Daphne and the other next to Blaise, while Draco just stood in the doorway fuming. "I looked everywhere for Potter. I wanted to try out my snarkiest lines on him, but he's nowhere. Goyle, Crabbe and I searched every compartment. Do you think he finally got kicked out of Hogwarts?" Draco began to sound hopeful.

With a shrug, Daphne responded, "Maybe Crabbe and Goyle got confused and they searched the same compartments over and over."

"I searched with them."

"Well, please consider the face that we don't really care where Potter is," Blaise added. "I know that you have some sort of weird fanboy crush on him, but—"

Draco rudely continued talking over Blaise and sat down on Crabbe's other side, squishing Daphne and Theo further. "Now that I think about it, I didn't see Weasley either. It was just Granger sitting with Longbottom and the girl Weaselette."

"Still not interested," Theo muttered.

"Well, the mention of Weasley might pique the interest of someone in this compartment," Draco said. With a self-righteous smirk, he raised his eyebrows and watched as Avalon's friends looked at one another to figure out who he was referring to. "Care to explain, Avalon?"

If looks could kill, Draco would have spent the first few weeks of term in Neville's spot inside the hospital wing. Avalon avoided the stares of the other second years and wondered how she was going to wiggle her way out of the accusation.

She sighed. "The truth is, I spent some of the summer break with the Weasleys because Lucy desperately wanted me to get to know Charlie's family. It's possible that while I was there… I didn't completely hate the experience."

"You liked staying with the blood traitors?"

"Was their house as disgusting as we thought?"

"Did they give you actual food, or were they too poor to afford it?"

Avalon rolled her eyes. "I didn't complete hate it at the time. They sucked me in to their strange blood traitor circle. I wasn't used to being with a father who actually cares about his children, for example. But since I left I've come to my senses, and the next person to bring it up is getting hexed. Clear?"

"Clear," came the response from all her friends.

Since they needed a new topic, Theo pulled out the Exploding Snap cards he carried all the time, and Blaise pulled out the _Enchanted Encounters_ book to read again.

Avalon stood up. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you off to in such a rush? Didn't you hear me?" asked Draco, not looking up from his hand of cards and furrowing his brow. "Weasley isn't here, there's no need to run off like that to find him."

"Stuff it, Daddy's boy."

Avalon was gone before she could hear Draco's sputtering retort. There was only one person she wanted to talk to at the moment, and she had an idea of where she could probably find him.

When she did, his companions were less than thrilled to see her

"Tell me again why she's here?" Finnigan asked. He sneered across the compartment at Avalon, who was silently eating a chocolate frog. In response, she stuck out her tongue at him and made a face back.

"She's Neville's friend," answered Thomas. "And Neville is our friend."

Avalon smiled awkwardly at the Gryffindor boy for being welcoming, but tapped Neville on the arm. "Hey, I actually came down here because I wanted to talk to you. Could we step out into the corridor for a minute?"

"Oh, thank Merlin." Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

Neville filled his hands with jelly beans and followed Avalon out of the compartment. "What's wrong?"

She proceeded to tell him the story of her summer: of her stay at the Burrow, of her trip to Diagon Alley with the Malfoys, and finally about the conversation she had with her Slytherin friends about all the above. "I don't know what to do, Neville. I don't know what I believe anymore. In one week, the Weasleys made me question the things my father's told me for twelve years."

"I wish I knew what to tell you," Neville said.

"Nothing really makes sense anymore. I liked being with the Weasleys and I didn't hate Ron at one point. But when I saw Ron and Ginny while I was with Draco… it felt like I was on the edge of a fence. I probably have to choose."

Neville ate some more jelly beans before responding. "I know this is all new and different for you. It's weird when things change, and it's okay that you aren't sure exactly what you want to do. But I'm a blood traitor, and you don't have a problem associating with me."

"I wouldn't call you a 'blood traitor.' At least not by Weasley standards."

"The point is, that you don't have to think about it. This is a different world from the one our pa—erm, the previous generation—lived through. There's no dark wizard forcing wizards to make some grand decision about their beliefs. Just live your life, and if Malfoy and Zabini don't like it, so what?"

 _So, they're my friends._

Instead of telling Neville this, she simply thanked him. "All right. I'm going to head back so I can change before we get to school. Finnigan and Thomas are probably in there thinking I hexed you or something."

"See you, Avalon."

As she made her way to her compartment, Avalon did some more thinking to herself. She understood what Neville was saying, and her Slytherin pals had come to accept him as being friends with Avalon. But he was the limit, the exception. And Ron? Ginny? So much as breathing amicably in the direction of a Weasley would have been a low point for even her. She had no idea what would happen. They could excommunicate her from the circle. Or worse… they could write home to her father.

But after the talk she'd had with Ron on their brooms… she didn't necessarily want things to go back to the way they had been before.

 _Am I the same girl I was last year? Have I changed? Was it a good change?_

Whatever the final outcome, Avalon knew that this would be an interesting year.


	12. Second Year: Quidditch Practice

The first few days of school passed rather uneventfully. Avalon and Neville resumed their tutoring practices in the library to help each other in Potions and Herbology, respectively. Daphne overheard Adrian Pucey talking to one of his fourth-year friends about the kitchens entrance and tickling the pair. She and Theo had gone down one night to get a snack after curfew and were promptly caught by Percy Weasley as he patrolled the corridors. When Theo and Daphne weren't serving nightly detentions with Filch, Draco, Blaise, Theo and Daphne excitedly began to talk about the Quidditch season. Draco was positively giddy about being the seeker.

"Are you sure you're any good?" Daphne asked as they sat in the common room Friday evening, beginning the first History of Magic assignment of the year. Or at least attempting to begin it.

Draco squinted at her, but lazily turned the pages of his book. "Yes, I know my father thanked Marcus Flint for making me Slytherin seeker by purchasing new brooms for the team, but the truth of the matter is that I would have made the team regardless."

The girl shrugged. "I guess we'll never know for sure, since you didn't try out like the rest of your teammates."

"You really shouldn't shake his confidence, Daph," Avalon called from her chair by the fire. "He might not have any actual skill, so he's already at a disadvantage to Potter as it is."

Theo chimed in. "Wait, do you lot remember our first flying lesson last year? When he took Longbottom's Remembrall and Potter caught it in the most impressive Wronski Feint I've ever seen and became the youngest seeker in a century despite never having been on a broom before that day?"

"What's your point, Theodore?" Draco's teeth were clenched and his face was turning red.

"I'm just wondering, that if Potter was that much better than you with no practice, how badly is he going to kick your arse after playing Quidditch for a year," Theo finished. Blaise, Daphne and Avalon laughed loudly while Draco pouted.

"Very funny." Draco gathered his books and parchments and quills in his arms and shoved them into his bag. "As enjoyable as this is, I'm going to go to bed now. We have an early Quidditch practice tomorrow. Crabbe, Goyle, let's go."

Goyle and Crabbe quickly stood up and followed Draco up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Within a few moments, Draco was back. "Also, here's the thing. I was wondering if you guys would sit in the stands during practice? At least in the beginning. Maybe when the rest of the team sees how much everyone likes me and supports me, I'll build a nice reputation."

"I'm going to pass," said Blaise. "Although I tolerate your presence in relatively small doses, but I don't want too much because then I'm going to be miserable."

"Thanks, mate," said Draco, to which Blaise nodded firmly. "Daphne?"

"I have detention after breakfast tomorrow. Filch caught me going down to the kitchens again, so I'm supposed to help McGonagall organize her parchments or something equally as boring."

Theo shrugged. "I'll go. If Daphne's right, and you're an awful Quidditch player, it would be a shame not to see your lack of flying skills. And also, I don't feel like doing my homework tomorrow."

"Although I'm not a huge Quidditch fan, count me in. I'll come because Theo's idea just makes sense to me, and I'd love to see you fail," Avalon said. She high-fived Theo while they laughed some more.

Draco sighed and turned to go up the stairs to the boys' dormitory again. "I'm very lucky to have you lot as friends. Thanks so much for the kind words, as always." Without looking back at them, he flapped his hands in the direction of the others. "Good night."

"Good night mate."

The other four sat in silence for a few moments before Daphne spoke. "You know I still don't really understand why we keep him around sometimes."

"He gives us comic relief, maybe?" Blaise shrugged.

Avalon closed her History of Magic book and slid from the arm chair to the floor. She groaned loudly as she rolled over closer to the fire. "It's Friday, and we've only had three days of classes. How can it be that I'm so tired?"

"Maybe it's because you've had to sit through lessons with the incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart. I can't figure out why Dumbledore would even hire the guy," said Blaise. He made a noise that resembled a snort.

"I think Dumbledore hired Lockhart because he's amazing and has beautiful hair and is the most qualified person in the entire wizarding world to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts," Daphne snapped. She pulled her legs up onto the sofa and glared daggers in Blaise's direction. "We are all lucky to be under his instruction."

"Are you kidding?"

Avalon quirked her eyebrow in Daphne's direction. "I'm a huge Lockhart fan, don't get me wrong, but I have to agree with Blaise on this one and question his skills. I know it's only been two classes, but instead of teaching us about anything really remotely Defense Against the Dark Arts-related, we took a quiz on his life and his personality and stuff."

"Maybe that's part of his process. He could be building teacher-student relationships or something. He is still adjusting to being a teacher, cut him some slack. Celestina Warbeck probably didn't get a record deal the first time she sang in public," Daphne argued.

"Okay, but Celestina Warbeck has _talent._ That's the difference," said Blaise. "She's completely qualified for any job she signs up to do."

Daphne stood up and stretched her back, yawning loudly. "Here's what we're going to do: tomorrow, after Avalon and Theo get back from Draco's Quidditch practice and I finish my detention, we're going to go to Gilderoy Lockhart with a question about Defense Against the Dark Arts. When he proves his salt as a teacher to you and I win, you have to do my Charms homework for a month."

"Deal," Blaise responded smugly. He paused for a moment. "If I win, and he doesn't know what he's talking about, I get to borrow your owl whenever I want for a month."

"Why do you need my owl?"

Blaise shrugged. "I want to write my mother, but sometimes she goes on vacation. Like right now, she's on the beach in Bermuda, and I don't want to tire out Fidel."

"Fine. But sometimes I'll need to use Zeus, so don't hog him." Daphne held out her hand, and she and Blaise shook on it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an early morning, so I'm going to turn in. Are you coming, Ava?"

"I'll be up in a minute, yeah."

Daphne nodded and disappeared into the girls' dormitory. Blaise bid both girls goodnight as well and went up the boys' staircase. Theo and Avalon were left in the common room, neither speaking for a while at first as Theo continued his evening-long project of building a house out of Exploding Snap cards.

"Theo?"

"Yeah."

Avalon took a deep breath. "Do you know how everyone said last year Potter fought you-know-who for the philosopher's stone?"

"Yeah."

"I've been thinking about it. You don't think he's coming back, do you?"

"Potter defeated him," said Theo.

There was another bought of silence, and Avalon avoided her friend's eyes. "I know, but that's what people said the first time. They said he was gone for good, but he showed up again. And yes, it was just on the back of Quaking Quirrell's head, but still. I'm worried."

Theo put down his cards and scooted across the floor to Avalon. She was still stretched out in front of the fire, and he held out his hand to her to help her sit up. "Listen, Avalon, we both know what's going to happen if somehow you-know-who comes back. But the thing is, there's nothing we can do. If life unfolds that way, we won't be able to stop it. There's no sense griping and spending all our time wondering about what might happen. But if it does, I know I'll be okay. I have you."

"And Draco."

" _Great_."

The two second years laughed to themselves, catching the eye of a sixth year taking a nap across the common room. Their voices fell to whispers before they began laughing again. Finally, they regained their breath.

"Thanks, I really needed that," said Avalon. She stood up and brushed herself off before packing up her books and supplies for the night.

"Anytime."

With that, Avalon made her way to the second-year girls' dormitory. When she arrived, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and Daphne were all sound asleep. Tracey Davis was the only one of her dorm-mates awake, and she was sitting up in her bed reading to the light on the tip of her wand.

"All right, Avalon?"

"All right," came the girl's response.

She brushed her teeth, changed into pajamas, and braided her hair for the night. Finally, she emerged from the bathroom, drying her wet face on a towel before she slipped under the duvet on her bed.

"Good night, Avalon."

"Good night Tracey."

ASDMBZDGTN

The next morning at breakfast, Avalon and her friends were excitedly chatting about having a day of freedom from their schoolwork. Draco, however, was uncharacteristically silent during the meal.

"What gives, Malfoy?" Daphne asked. "As much as I love you not talking, it's strange to me, and I'm slightly worried. You're also not eating."

"How can you not eat?" interjected Goyle. Crabbe and Theo grunted simultaneously in response.

Draco pushed his eggs and sausage around his plate with a fork, still not bringing the fork to his mouth. Next to him, Avalon picked up one of his pieces of toast and held it in front of his face. He took a bite, except once Avalon moved her hand, the toast just hung out of his mouth and he didn't chew or swallow.

There was a chuckle from Blaise. "Guys, I think we broke him last night. His confidence seems to be shaken."

"I got this," Daphne said. "You need to eat breakfast. If you don't, you won't have any energy today and you'll probably fall off your broom during practice. Imagine if Potter hears about that? He'll think you're unskilled and only got on the team because of your dad."

"Which is true," muttered Avalon. Daphne kicked her in the shins. "Which is _not_ true, I mean."

"You're right, Daphne" said Draco. He had pulled the piece of toast from his mouth and put it back on his plate. He grabbed the butter and marmalade from Theo—who made it a point to keep both to himself during breakfast—and vigorously applied them to his toast before shoveling mouthfuls of eggs and sausage.

Avalon patted him on the back. "I would slow down if I were you, mate. You're a pretty useless seeker if you chuck all over the Quidditch pitch."

Marcus Flint, a tall, burly Slytherin seventh year with large teeth and black hair, walked over to the group and slammed his hands on the table. Daphne and Blaise grabbed their glasses of orange juice to stop them from falling over from the impact.

"Malfoy, let's go."

"Is it time for practice already? I thought we were heading down once breakfast ended."

Flint shrugged. "I heard wind that the Gryffindor team has been there for hours, and I have a note from Professor Snape that gives us a surefire way to ruin their day." He clapped Draco on the back—hard. "Get moving."

"Yes, sir."

Theo leaned towards Blaise. "Watching Draco kissing Flint's arse is strange," he whispered. Blaise and Daphne both nodded.

As Draco stood up, he made eye contact with Avalon and Theo, reminding them of their promise to accompany him to his first Quidditch practice of the season. They joined him, the three second years trailing behind Flint and all the older students on the team. The other two chasers besides Flint, Graham Montague and Adrian Pucey, flanked their captain with gruff looks and folded arms, and somehow, Draco knew that they were more convincing sidekicks than the incompetent Crabbe and Goyle. Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, the team's beaters, were engaged in an animated discussion about Quidditch, as every so often they would pantomime swinging a beater's bat. Miles Bletchley, a tall boy in the year above them with a perpetually annoyed look on his face and large muscles, was the keeper, and every so often he would peer back at Draco and his friends with a curious look on his face.

"You okay?" Theo asked Draco from the corner of his mouth.

But what had happened was remarkable. Somehow, being around people outside his immediate group of friends had transformed the boy. He was his usual obnoxious, sneering, drawling self, swaggering his way down the hill at an increasing speed to join the rest of the team.

Avalon shrugged. "Somehow, I think the little guy's going to be fine."

"Little guy? He's at least two heads taller than you."

"Come on, you twat. Let's go see the beautiful collision that is Flint and Wood." Avalon pointed further up the pitch. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain was shouting at Flint and waving his arms erratically. The two respective teams were gathered around their captains like two armies waiting for the signal to square off.

"But I booked the field!" Wood was saying when Theo and Avalon made it to the Slytherins. "I booked it."

Flint snarled at the other boy, a positively horrifying sight. "I have a specially signed note from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new seeker."

"You've a new seeker? Where?"

Draco squeezed his way through the six larger boys. Avalon supposed that as far as dramatic entrances went, being the smallest member of the team had its perks for him. She watched as Flint showed the Gryffindor team the gift from Mr. Malfoy.

Weasley and Granger joined the Gryffindor team on the pitch, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I'm the new Slytherin seeker, Weasley," Draco explained. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought for our team."

Granger cut her way in, as she was oh-so fond of doing. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."

Avalon and Theo exchanged looks. They knew how sensitive of a topic his potential lack of Quidditch skill was to Draco. He was already nervous about having to prove himself to the Slytherins, not that he'd ever want to let anyone know how insecure he was. Draco's smug 'Gryffindors-are-the-scum-of-the-earth-especially-you-Potter-the-boy-who-lived-and-thinks-he's-cool' look flickered for a moment.

He quickly regained his composure. "No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little mudblood."

There were shouts and the large din of the Gryffindors, making the Slytherins yell back in response. Flint stepped in front of Draco to stop the Weasley twins from attacking him. The girls on the Gryffindor team were shrieking about 'how dare he,' and Weasley pulled out his wand to make Draco pay.

One loud bang and a jet of green light later, and Weasley was on his back coughing up slugs. His own wand was somehow broken and had sent the curse the wrong way.

"Merlin," Theo whispered, before erupting into peals of laughter. He wasn't alone either, the entire Quidditch team was either doubled over, clutching their stomachs or on all fours.

As the Gryffindors—including a scrawny first year boy who appeared seemingly out of nowhere with what appeared to be a camera—crowded around Ron, Avalon made a choice. She grabbed Theo's shoulder for support, and began to laugh as well. It started out as a slight chuckle, but grew to a loud guffaw.

As Potter and Granger hobbled off to take care of Weasley, the Slytherin team started their routine warm ups, teaching Draco the ropes of their exercises.

"Wanna sit?" Avalon gestured to the stands, and she and Theo climbed up to watch the practice.

Three and a half hours later, the pair met Daphne and Blaise in the corridor outside the Slytherin dungeons.

"I know we agreed to this bet, but I feel like I'm going to need time to prepare myself mentally for a conversation with Gilderoy Lockhart," Blaise said. He massaged his temples as they started off in the direction of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's office.

"Shut your dirty mouth," snapped Theo. He punched Blaise in the arm.

"What in Merlin's name was that for?"

Daphne smiled at Theo. "You're disrespecting the greatest wizard who ever walked the earth and graced us with his presence."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. The greatest wizard ever? What about Merlin? Salazar Slytherin? I'll even put _Dumbledore_ before Gilderoy Lockhart," Blaise said, beginning to get exasperated.

His comment earned him another hit from Theo, followed by one from Daphne and one from Avalon.

"Is the hitting necessary?"

By the time they reached Lockhart's office, it was nearly time for lunch.

"Professor, we have a question about Defense Against the Dark Arts," Daphne called, rapping her fist against the office door sharply three times. "Are you in there?"

"Come in, come in!"

The four walked in to the room. Their professor was sitting at his desk, surrounded by piles and piles of photographs of himself. Blaise looked taken aback, and the girls looked like they were going to pass out.

Some of the pictures smiled like they had on the cover of Witch Weekly's "Hottest Wizard of the Year" edition, while some slicked back their hair and made finger guns at the reader. One cheeky photograph blew Daphne a kiss and she had to lean against a nearby bookshelf for support. Blaise cleared his throat and looked in Daphne's direction expectantly. She quickly regained her composure.

"What can I do for you, children?"

It was only fifteen minutes later that they left his office, each clutching a flamboyantly autographed picture of Lockhart and sporting a look of extreme and utter confusion.

"Stay magical, Daphne. _Gilderoy Lockhart_."

"Avalon, always follow your dreams. _Gilderoy Lockhart_."

"Be the best magical me you can be, Blaise. _Gilderoy Lockhart_."

"To Theo, from _Gilderoy Lockhart_?" Theo's face twisted into a pout after he read the inscription. "Everyone else got a personal message, and I just got something he'd probably sign five hundred times at a _Flourish and Blotts_ book signing."

Ignoring Theo, Blaise shook his head. "I can't put what just happened into words. Every time we asked him a question, he just said random tripe over and over that made you feel like you'd gotten an answer. Except you didn't realize that he never answered a question until later."

"Maybe he's not good at public speaking."

"Why would he become a professor, then? You owe me Zeus."

"Fine," said Daphne. "But I'm only giving in because that trial made him seem like he didn't know what he was talking about. I still stand by my argument though."

Theo was still staring at his autograph. "Well, if we're done talking about Lockhart, could we go to lunch please? I'm starving."

"What's new?" Daphne asked.

Theo pushed her with his shoulder as they set off for the Great Hall.

 **A/N: Fun fact- since I was on break for the past ten days (I started school again today) I wrote the next five chapters of this story. I'm planning to leave a couple of days between updates, but this cushion will defintely stop what happened a few months ago with my little hiatus. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**


	13. Second Year: Bowtruckles and Bird Poop

"The bowtruckle is a small, insect-eating, tree dwelling creature. It's made of bark and twigs, and serves as a tree guardian for its home tree." Professor Sprout began talking the moment she entered the greenhouse, using her wand to levitate a large potted plant in front of her. She stared at the second year Slytherins and Ravenclaws with a stern look. "Although they are peaceful creatures, they will become violent if anyone threatens its tree or itself."

Avalon turned to look back at Daphne, who was sitting at a workstation behind her with her partner Theo. It looked as though they were starting a new Herbology project. Her gaze flicked over to Blaise, who was slumped over. The piece of parchment in front of him was peppered with small doodles, including Draco crashing into the Whomping Willow on his broom. Avalon snickered.

Professor Sprout gave Avalon a knowing look, but didn't stop teaching to reprimand the girl. For some reason, Avalon had a consistent problem with being too talkative in her classes, especially Herbology. She was trying to work on it.

"Each tree contains a branch—that's what a group of bowtruckles is called—that you will be studying during this semester. For the next two months, you and a partner will spend some class time watching your branch, and recording what happens in the tree. You'll also be able to come in during breaks and on the weekends to work as well. In addition to a written report including the history of the bowtruckle, the social hierarchy of the branch, abilities and skills, dietary needs, and other basic attributes, you'll need to find out what they like and dislike, because I'm also tasking you with finding a way to convince the bowtruckles to let you remove wand wood from the tree. This assignment will be due when you come back from Christmas break." Professor Sprout laughed at the expressions on the faces of her students. "You gripe now, but in addition, I will be picking your partners."

There was a collective groan around the greenhouse. "I want there to be as little horseplay as possible when you're in here working with your branches. Carelessness leads to injuries,"

She began to read off a list. "Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy and Morag MacDougal, Avalon Steele and Padma Patil, Theodore Nott and Terry Boot, Daphne Greengrass and Mandy Brocklehurst, Vincent Crabbe and Sue Li, Sally Smith and Stephen Cornfoot, Gregory Goyle and Lisa Turpin, Michael Corner and Oliver Rivers, and finally, Anthony Goldstein and Millicent Bulstrode."

Confused students looked around the greenhouse to find their partners. A lot of the interhouse pairings had never interacted with one another before, and Avalon and her partner were no exception. She could barely remember the name that Professor Sprout had read off the parchment only moments before. Fortunately, she was saved by a voice behind her.

"Are you Avalon?"

Before answering, Avalon swiveled around and peered up at the girl standing in front of her, a tall Ravenclaw with smooth brown skin and long black hair worn in a plait down her back. She raised eyebrows impatiently as she waited for a response. "Yeah I am. I'm guessing you're Padma?" Avalon asked. The girl didn't speak again, but instead gave a cool nod before sliding onto the stool next to Avalon, that had been previously occupied by Blaise.

"Is everyone settled?" The woman looked around the room at the students still scrambling to find their new seats, but she continued the lesson without waiting for a response. "Great, let's get started."

Professor Sprout picked up her dragonhide gloves and slipped them onto her fingers, instructing the students to do the same. Once this was done, she grabbed her wand and flicked it through the air. A bunch of small potted tree saplings flew through the air, one stopping in front of each pair of students. A few rows in front of Avalon and Padma, Crabbe reached out to touch one of the bowtruckles in his branch, but it simply bit his finger indignantly. He yelped loudly, and across the greenhouse, Goyle's head shot up as he tried to see why his friend sounded hurt. Without looking at the other boy, an annoyed looking Ravenclaw girl rolled her eyes and picked up Crabbe's dragonhide gloves, holding them out to him at an arm's length. He tugged them on sheepishly.

"Thank you, Sue," Professor Sprout said. She chuckled, holding back her laughter. "And Vincent has made an excellent point. Safety first, because as I said, they will become violent if it thinks anyone is threatening its tree or itself. Moving on, one of you should take out some parchment and label it. You don't have to name the bowtruckles in your branch, but I think it would be a good idea for observational purposes."

Avalon opened her mouth to speak but was promptly cut off.

"We should outline a schedule so we don't wait until the last minute to get everything done," said Padma. She took out the supplies as Professor Sprout had instructed but didn't wait for Avalon to respond. Usually, Avalon hated being bossed around, but something about Padma made her okay with it.

Avalon nodded. "I could come in after classes, before dinnertime. I usually leave my homework for the weekends anyway, so I have some free time."

"Charming," said Padma making it perfectly clear she thought her anything but. She looked as if Avalon's words caused her physical pain, and the latter realized that maybe talking about her tendencies to procrastinate while working on a project with her new partner wasn't the best idea. "Anyway, I'm a quick eater, so I'll be here every day after breakfast and after lunch to collect data as well. When we're both here for Herbology, we can compare notes and do revisions."

"That sounds good to me," said Avalon, but Padma had already begun scribbling notes and probably wasn't listening to her words.

It had been nearly twenty minutes before her partner acknowledged Avalon's presence and spoke again. "Also, once we have enough information, we'll meet in the library to work on the essay. I assume you have a homework planner?"

"Umm… no?"

Padma held out her own, and upon opening it, it said, 'don't leave it till later, you big second rater.' She nodded again in Avalon's direction. "I expect you to get one so you can keep up on all of the work."

"Yes ma'am," Avalon found herself saying.

When the bell rang, Avalon began to quickly grab her things and shove them into her bag. Padma was still standing over her, and narrowed her brown eyes at the Slytherin girl. "I want to make this perfectly clear. At no point, will this partnership be anything less than equal. I will not do extra work to make up for your slacking. If that appears to be the case, I will speak to Professor Sprout and explain to her why you should receive a failing mark on the assignment. Trust me, I've done it before."

Without waiting for a response, Padma spun on her heel and stalked off, whipping Avalon in the face with her thick plait.

"What's her deal?" Blaise asked, coming back to his original workspace to pick up his fallen quill from the under a leafy plant.

"I have no clue."

Theo and Daphne were both waiting by the door of the greenhouse, and beckoned for the pair to join them so they could hurry off to lunch.

ASPPBZDG

Later that week, Avalon was sitting in the Owlery window with Neville. They had left the library due to her extreme lack of focus, her need for fresh air, and the fact that it was raining and they couldn't go work by the Great Lake as they did sometimes when one of the pair wanted a change in scenery. However, judging by the fact that she was simply staring out the window with a pensive look on her face, it didn't seem to be working according to plan. Neville nudged her gently with his foot, and she smiled apologetically. "You're not listening to me."

"Sorry, Neville. But did you know that Professor Sprout instructed Madam Pince to prohibit any second years from checking out books related to bowtruckles until after Christmas break? I can't even get _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ ," Avalon moaned. She leaned back against the wall, jumping as an owl flew in the open window across her.

"I guess Professor Sprout wants all the information we include to come from our observations," Neville said. "Who's your partner?"

"Some Ravenclaw girl called Padma Something-Or-Other."

Neville nodded. "I know who Padma is. Her twin sister Parvati is in my house. I've never really talked to her, but from what I gather she's a nice gal. A little uptight, maybe. Professor Sprout paired me with Hannah Abbott. She's a Hufflepuff in our year. I was talking to her after class and I think she likes Herbology as much as I do. She told me about all the magical plants she has at home, and she actually has a greenhouse in her backyard."

"You seem to have gotten the perfect partner," said Avalon. She waggled her eyebrows up and down at him, then laughed and watched as Neville's face reddened at her words.

"Shut up."

As a last-ditch effort to change to subject, Neville started to tell her a story that included Finnigan blowing something up in Transfiguration. She willed herself to listen his words, but she found herself thinking about her sister. Lucy had promised to send a letter every week. It wasn't even two months into the school year and already the letters had stopped. Charlie was probably receiving a letter every day. They were falling back into the pattern from the previous year, but the outcome was going to be even worse because Avalon couldn't just show up outside the Gryffindor common room so they could hug and make up like she had the day Seamus Finnigan had been right about her wanting to make things right with Lucy. Stupid Finnigan. If he hadn't ever convinced her to makeup with Lucy, they'd still be mad at each other. Avalon never would have gone to the Burrow and she probably wouldn't care that it had been over a week since her last letter from Lucy. It was all his fault.

"And then, there was a chunk of his eyebrow missing—he had burned it off completely," Neville was saying when Avalon started to register his words once more. "No one wanted to be the one to tell him, because he actually thought that he had done the spell correctly, but finally Hermione showed him his reflection."

"Wow."

Avalon felt bad. She realized there had been countless times where Neville would talk to her and she would either zone out and think about other things, or come to some shocking realization and say she had to leave immediately. In fact, just while these thoughts were going through her head, Neville had moved on from the explosive Finnigan story to one about why Halloween was his favorite holiday.

"It was always so much fun. My cousins would come over and Gran would make us all a kettle of tea and read _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ until we fell asleep. I missed her a lot last year when Halloween came, but she sent me an extra letter that day," he finished.

She was doing it again. Neville was one of her best friends, but she somehow couldn't be bothered to listen to his problems and his stories? Why was she so awful?

As they sat there, another owl flew in the Owlery. It had come back without a package but still dropped a load on Avalon's robes. She groaned loudly and hopped up. "I need to get this out, Nev. Daphne keeps a travel sized bottle of All-Purpose Magical Stain Remover in her trunk. I'll see you in potions tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Neville answered. He waved to Avalon and turned to walk down the steps of the Owlery, his Herbology textbook tucked neatly under his arm.

Avalon followed quickly, wondering if the universe had dropped bird droppings into her lap as a form of penance.


	14. Second Year: The Message

**A/N: Hey guys, Cristy here with a new chapter. Big things will be happening in the next two chapters or so, and I'm really excited to share them with you! Please enjoy this chapter and leave a review if you liked it (and a review if you hated it). Feel free to follow or favorite to keep up with updates. I don't own Harry Potter, which I'm sure you know as a Harry Potter fan.**

The Halloween feast was in full swing less than a week after Avalon's conversation in the Owlery with Neville.

She could understand why Halloween would be his favorite holiday, although she couldn't grasp why he would miss Halloween celebrations at home with his gran when the Hogwarts Feast was so wonderful.

There were bright flaming orange streamers hanging down from above, mingling with the star-light from the enchanted ceiling's view of the sky outside. Huge pumpkins that were nearly as tall as Hagrid were placed at various points around the Great Hall. The small mousy first-year boy who Avalon had seen at the Quidditch practice/Gryffindor-Slytherin fight only weeks earlier was running around, taking pictures of the pumpkins and taking pictures of his classmates with the pumpkins. Floating in the air were smaller pumpkins with candles inside, casting eerie glows on the table. Some students were sporting long white beards, claiming they were "Merlin," "Salazar Slytherin," or "Dumbledore," or some other old wizard. Dumbledore himself—the real one—was wearing bright orange dress robes. One thousand live bats swooped down over students chatting and eating amicably.

Over at the Slytherin table, Theo filled a large bowl with mashed pumpkin. He was practically bouncing up and down in his chair as he did so. Blaise looked on with a horrified look on his face. After a moment, Theo pulled the bowl towards him and scooped out a spoonful of the orange goop. He grinned at his friends as he swallowed thickly. Daphne and Avalon exchanged disgusted glances, and the former cleared her throat. "Mate, do you want some vegetables to go with that?"

"Pumpkin is a vegetable."

"Or maybe some meat? Bread?" Avalon asked.

"No thanks, just the pumpkin for me."

Blaise shook his head at his best friend, and gestured for Daphne to pass him the lamb chops and gravy. Unlike Theo, Blaise did not want to make a meal off the pumpkin. He would be either hungry in the middle of the night or he would need to visit the Hospital Wing in the morning. After a moment, Blaise sized Theo up and snorted internally. Maybe both. Probably both.

"What are you lot doing for Christmas break?" Theo asked after a few moments of silent chewing, nearly choking on a large swallow of pumpkin. "Are you staying here, going home, or traveling?"

"Stepdad number four is taking my mum and me on a cruise. I don't remember where, but it's somewhere warm and tropical," said Blaise. He smiled; taking advantage of his stepdads' desires to please him was an activity he'd never outgrown.

"And I wasn't invited?" Theo asked, placing his hand over his heart in an indignant manner. "My parents are going on a trip without me and are having me stay here over the holiday."

Blaise shrugged. "Well, do you want to come? Number Four is even richer than Number Three and would do whatever I want. I could write him a letter tomorrow and have him buy an extra ticket for you."

"Thanks, mate."

"Astoria and I are spending the holidays at our grandparents' cabin in Germany," Daphne said. She rolled her eyes, as a break spent with her elderly grandparents didn't sound like her idea of a perfect good time. "We're Floo-ing out the day after I get back from Hogwarts. My parents are staying in England for a bit but they're coming to join us on Christmas Eve and we'll all be there for the New Year."

"Shudder all you want Daph, but I definitely win the 'worst holiday plans' competition. We're having a Christmas party, and since Charlie will be back from Romania briefly to see his parents, Lucy invited the Weasleys," Avalon grumbled.

Her friends mumbled their apologies, and they finished their meal with small talk as Draco, who was sitting on Theo's other side began telling an over the top story about whatever his vacation plans were for the break.

Halfway through the feast, Dumbledore stood up at the Head Table. "Welcome to the Halloween feast here at Hogwarts. I see some of you are taking advantage of the seasonal delicacies." He chuckled and those around Theo all turned to look at him. The boy smiled sheepishly with a mouthful of pumpkin. "Please, enjoy yourselves. And while you're filling your stomachs, we also have a treat for your ears—the Hogwarts Frog Choir, led by Professor Flitwick, will be singing some traditional songs for us. I believe their first piece is entitled 'Something Wicked this Way Comes.'"

Avalon squinted up at the front of the Great Hall. The teachers were now sitting at the four House Tables. The Frog Choir was standing on a platform where the Head Table had once stood, and the platform was slowly rising into the air. "Is that Neville?"

"They sound nice, but it's a little boring. Why would anyone want to join that club anyway? It's complete bollocks," Theo muttered as the students began to sing while holding loud, croaking frogs.

Blaise shook his head at Theo's words. "You're definitely one to talk. Or are you forgetting that you're the secretary of the Hogwarts Gobstones Club? A club that's so unpopular, it currently only has ten members?"

"Very funny, Blaise."

"Which makes sense," Daphne added. "Who wants to play a game where losing a point means you get squirted in the face with foul-smelling liquid? It's completely horrid."

"The key is to not lose a point. And also have a scouring charm on standby to clean yourself of the stench afterwards," explained Theo. He put his head down and went back to eating his bowl of pumpkin, much to the disgust of his friends.

It was close to twenty minutes later when the feast finally ended.

"All right, children, as I'm sure you already know, all good things must come to an end, even this Halloween feast. Prefects, if you would be so kind as to lead your houses back to their dormitories at this time. Have a wonderful evening," Dumbledore said. He smiled and gestured his hands widely.

The students began to rise from the tables. Daphne yawned and stretched. The food she had eaten was making her drowsier and drowsier by the minute, and soon her friends were doing the same as they followed the prefects out of the Great Hall.

Energy was still high as students climbed the stairs. Draco was telling a story about the Slytherin team's Quidditch practice. "Bletchley—he's the keeper—was about to kick off with his broom at the beginning of practice, and he was talking to me about a play that Flint wanted to try, but before he could, one of the beaters hit the bludger at him to be funny. He couldn't tell if it was Bole or Derrick, so he tried to chase both of them on his broom. He looked like a…"

Draco's voice trailed off.

The herd of students stopped suddenly. Shorter kids tried to crane their necks to see exactly what had happened.

In the center of the group stood Potter, Weasley, and Granger. But the thing that made everyone freeze in their tracks wasn't the three Gryffindors skipping the feast, but the writing on the wall. Written in huge letters, were the words: "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED/ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE"

A large puddle of water was beneath the message, and beneath it hung a gruesome sight. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was hanging by her tail, stiff and unmoving. The silence rippled through them, and Avalon covered her gaping mouth with her hand.

"What is this? Some sort of weird Halloween prank?" Daphne hissed.

Before any of them could react, Draco pushed his way through the crowd towards Potter, Weasley, and Granger with determination. His friends attempted to follow but found themselves pulled back by the surge of the crowd. When he reached the front, Draco's sneer intensified and he all but spat at anyone who would listen. "Enemies of the heir beware? You'll be next, mudbloods."

More murmurs rippled through the students, some of them much louder protests as some of the Gryffindors attempted to reach him and swing their fists.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" Filch had joined the growing cluster by the stiff cat, the puddle of water, and the message. He started screaming at Potter and his friends for killing his beloved Mrs. Norris.

Suddenly, Dumbledore and a horde of teachers were there as well. The sea of curious children parted as they made their way through, trying—rather unsuccessfully—to regain control of both the students and the situation. They had been silent at one point, but students were beginning to whisper. Some cowered behind their friends in fear, unsure of what was happening and what they outcome would be. Some hypothesized about the meaning of the wall inscription. With confidence and a swift hand, Dumbledore removed Mrs. Norris from her torch bracket prison. Filch looked like he might pass out right then and there. He led Potter, Granger, Weasley, and Filch off, with McGonagall, Snape, and Lockhart trailing behind them on their way to Lockhart's office, most likely to discuss the current matter at hand.

When Avalon heard Draco's voice, she was surprised. She hadn't seen him come back through the crowd. He was chuckling. "They all sound so frightened up there. Blubbering like little babies. The mudbloods should be worried."

She gave him a look to silence him. People were beginning to stare. They would think he had put up the message, or one of his friends.

"All right, we're going to take you all back to your common rooms now. There's nothing to worry about, everything is going to be okay." The Head Boy and Head Girl were speaking, although they didn't seem like they believed the words they were saying, if the apprehensive glances they kept sharing as they addressed the students were any indication. "Prefects, please gather to lead your classmates to your common rooms. No one is to leave their common room tonight under any circumstances."

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.

By the time Avalon and the other Slytherins reached their common room, they were all buzzing with ideas, stories, theories. No one knew anything for certain, but as Avalon tried to drift off to sleep, her roommates were still sitting up, discussing. She hadn't had many problems with Pansy so far this year, but suddenly she remembered all the times she had dreamed of punching Pansy in the face for not having an off button, ever. As much as Avalon wanted to be annoyed, the same questions were coursing through her own head. Who was the Heir? What was the Chamber of Secrets? What did any of this mean?

Were they all in danger?

By the time Avalon drifted off to sleep, she was plagued with dreams of dead cats and more bloody messages written on the wall. She woke up at one point in a cold sweat, and managed to sneak down to the kitchens to get some hot tea from the house-elves. Soon after, Avalon fell asleep again, but could not remember dreams this time.

Enemies of the Heir, beware.


	15. Second Year: Whispers and Yellings

Despite the fact that the teachers tried to pretend everything was normal following the Halloween petrification, things were changing with the seasons. The day after Halloween, Blaise had checked out a copy of _Hogwarts, A History._ He later noted that he got the library's last copy, as everyone apparently was very eager to read up on the Chamber of Secrets to figure out what was going on.

" _The four founders of Hogwarts—Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin—decided to create a school where witches and wizards could learn to control their magic free in an environment of muggle persecution. However, Slytherin disagreed with the other Founders on matters related to witches and wizards of muggle decent. He believed that only those with magical lineage could be trusted to keep the sacred secrets of the wizarding world,_ " Blaise read. He was sitting in the armchair by the fire, while the first year Slytherins gathered around him, wanting to hear about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. He continued to read at the insistence of his friends. " _It was after this argument had run its course that Slytherin decided he was better off without the other three founders, and left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, many people believe that Slytherin left his secrets behind, in the form of a secret chamber somewhere in the castle with an unidentified beast inside, that would have the power to rid the school of the muggleborns he hated. The legend says that only the Heir of Slytherin, who would possess the founder's powers and abilities, has the ability to open the Chamber of Secrets and release the beast hidden within_. And that's all it says here," he finished.

Draco nodded. "Finally, someone is doing some good around here." Pansy nodded her agreement. She was probably the only person in the room who hated muggleborns more than Draco Malfoy.

Throughout the school, there were whispers of Potter being the Heir of Slytherin.

Theo was one of the firm followers of that theory.

"It just makes sense," he said to his friends as they walked across the castle to Defense Against the Dark Arts one Friday afternoon. "He was already at the scene of the crime when the other students arrived. He was just standing there, with his friends. He looked guilty. Isn't that at least a little bit suspicious to you guys?"

Daphne shrugged. "Well… I suppose…"

"Wouldn't the Heir of Slytherin be a Slytherin?" Avalon asked.

Blaise shrugged. "Not necessarily. For example, your sister Lucy is the heir of your parents, and while they were in Slytherin, the Hat put her into Gryffindor. I don't think Slytherin's heir would need to be in the same house."

"Which explains why you-know-who wanted to kill Potter as a baby. The kid was a threat. He knew that Potter was the Heir of Slytherin, and wanted to make sure that no one would ever come close to toppling his regime." By this point, Theo was waving his arms wildly about as he tried to make his point. "But, since Slytherin's raw power courses through Potter's veins, you-know-who didn't stand a chance, and he was completely obliterated. Until last spring, when he tried to return and Potter defeated him again. How else do you explain a kid battling you-know-who twice and winning?"

"You know, usually everything Theo says is tripe, but this makes sense," Daphne muttered.

"No it doesn't," Avalon countered. "Why would Potter want to get rid of muggleborns? His best friend Granger is one, remember?"

Theo and Daphne paused, looking at each other, wondering which of them was going to come up with the killer argument that explained why Potter would want to kill his best friend and those like her. "Maybe that's his cover. Who would suspect Potter as having a secret vendetta against muggleborns if he's known to be friends with them?"

"Wasn't he raised by muggles? Why would he be prejudiced against them?"

By this point, they had reached Lockhart's classroom and they slipped into their seats, halting their conversation in its tracks. Their professor cleared his throat loudly. "Good afternoon, students! Welcome to another class with me, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the Great Gilderoy Lockhart. I'm going to tell a story I'm sure you all have been dying to hear: my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf. Now, I know you've read all about the feat in my bestselling book, _Wanderings with Werewolves,_ but I'm going to show you all a reenactment. I'm going to need a volunteer to play the Wagga Wagga Werewolf."

No one raised a hand.

"All right, the lucky winner is… Gregory Goyle! Come up here, chap. You have quite the shoes to fill—Harry Potter played a very convincing werewolf in yesterday's class."

Avalon, Blaise, Theo, and Daphne exchanged looks at the mention of Potter's name.

Although a few believed that Potter truly was the Heir of Slytherin, some students had other ideas, especially Potter's friends, something Avalon would find out the hard way. That following week at dinner, she walked up to Neville at the Gryffindor table with a confused expression on her face. "Hey, Nev, what's going on?" she asked. "You weren't in the library today. Did you forget it was Tuesday?"

"Right. Sorry. I… umm…"

From Neville's side, Finnigan glared at her. Then he coughed loudly. Neville looked from Avalon to Finnigan, then back to Avalon.

"What's going on?" Avalon asked.

"I don't know. I just… with everything that's going on now, and all of my schoolwork, I don't know if I really have time for our tutoring sessions. Maybe it'd be best if we just…" his voice trailed off and he looked at Finnigan, who raised his eyebrows and nodded. Whatever Neville was trying to say had been rehearsed with him. "If we just didn't…"

"Is it because I'm a Slytherin? And everything that's going on right now? The attack on Mrs. Norris?"

"No, it's not that, I'm just…"

Avalon shrugged at his words. "I get it, Neville. You're scared. People are scared. They don't know what's going. And just like everyone else, you want answers. You want someone to blame. I understand. But I'm sure that you know, somewhere in your heart, that I have absolutely _nothing_ to do with this. I came from the feast like everyone else."

There was a long pause as her friend fought for the words to say. "Are you sure? You can be wishy washy sometimes. Ron told us about what happened when you stayed with his family. One minute, you apologize for being an arsehole, and the second you get back with your Slytherin friends you go back to your old prejudiced ways. And when I talk to you, you're rarely ever paying attention. You just stare off into space, thinking about your own problems. I have problems too, Avalon. Friends listen. You don't."

Everything Neville was saying rang true, and Avalon knew this.

But she had never seen Neville so upset. Even when Draco was tormenting him, he was never like this. It was a horrible combination of anger and sadness. His face was turning red and his hand was trembling. "Neville, I—"

"I'm not finished." Neville closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. Avalon tried not to focus on the fact that he was crying at this point. "You're no different from Malfoy, or Pansy Parkinson, or any of them. You hate Ron and his family for being blood traitors, but you call me your friend. I have a question for you. What's the difference between me and Ron? Am I just one muggle-loving comment away from your bullying?"

"I would never hurt you. Where is this coming from?"

"A couple days ago, you knocked Hermione's books out of her hands on the stairs," Neville said. "You hate her for being a muggleborn."

"Look, I don't—"

Finnigan put his hand on Neville's shoulder. "I think you need to leave, Steele."

"Oh. _That's_ where it's coming from. Don't let him bully you into saying things you don't mean," Avalon said. She folded her arms across her chest and tried to hide the quiver in her voice. "You're one of my best friends, Neville, you know that."

After a moment, Neville looked up at Avalon. His face had returned to its normal hue. "I think Seamus is right. You should go."

She didn't move.

"It's all right," Neville added after a moment. "I have to go check on my bowtruckle branch anyway. I'll see you around, Avalon." He stood up quickly and rushed out of the Great Hall, his head down as he made sure not to turn back and look at her. Avalon was left, standing in front of Finnigan and his best friend Dean Thomas, wondering what had just happened.

"Feel free to leave any time."

Avalon started to walk away, but whirled back around to face Finnigan, her hands propped on her hips like she had seen Lucy do countless times while arguing with their father. She narrowed her eyes at the Gryffindor boy and tried to shoot daggers. After a moment, she spat in his direction, "Go to hell, Finnigan."

His smirk faltered for a moment, but Avalon was already on her way back to the Slytherin table.

When she sat down, her friends could see that something was wrong—especially because they had been able to see the exchange between Avalon, Neville, and Finnigan, and Neville's hasty exit—but they knew her well enough to leave her alone until she decided to open up to them. But soon, tears began fall, and wordlessly, Daphne wrapped her arms around Avalon. The girl sniffled into Daphne's uniform jumper. The boys were silent as well, for the first time since Avalon had known them.

By the next morning, Daphne, Theo and Blaise had somehow managed to find out exactly what had been said, and they took matters into their own hands.

Avalon had just finished battling Pansy and Millicent for one of the showers and was toweling her hair dry when Daphne pranced into the dorm and flopped onto Avalon's bed. She grinned up at her friend. "Why are you so happy?"

"Let's just say that Finnigan may have gotten what was coming to him." As she spoke, Daphne twirled her wand through her fingers nonchalantly. Her smile only widened. "We figured you probably didn't want us to do anything to Longbottom, so we left him alone, but I cast a pretty nasty Jelly-Legs Jinx on Finnigan on his way to breakfast. He fell in front of that Lavender Brown girl, too. I think he fancies her." Avalon made a face at the mention of Finnigan's potential crush.

"I love you guys."

"I know, but wait, it gets better: Finnigan fell down the stairs. He's spending morning classes in the Hospital Wing drinking Skele-Gro."

Avalon pulled on a clean white shirt and began to tie her tie. Knowing that Finnigan had gotten what he deserved took away some of the pain of Neville ditching her. She wasn't looking forward to seeing him in Double Potions that day, and it was unlikely that Snape would let them switch partners based on a small personal conflict. The only choice was to suck it up. Maybe he'd blow something up and Snape would put him with Finnigan and her with Daphne instead. At least then he'd be with someone he actually considered to be a friend and Avalon would work with someone who wouldn't stab her in the back.

Regardless of the outcome, it was going to be a long day.


	16. Second Year: The Greenhouse

**A/N: Fun fact about this chapter (Chapter 16): I wrote it the same day I wrote Chapter 15 and decided to wait to post it because I didn't want to do two in one day, and just started writing Chapter 17. Fast forward to today, when I got ready to post Chapter 17 and realized HA I never posted Chapter 16 because I completely forgot about it! Anyway, here is late Chapter 16, and I'll post Chapter 17 on Tuesday night. (I'm really looking forward to what happens next chapter so stay tuned!)**

 **Necessary disclaimer that I only do when I don't forget about it completely like Chapter 16: I own literally nothing in this chapter except Avalon, Lucy, and the couple of plot points in this story that aren't from the brilliant mind of JK Rowling, such as the scene you're about to read. However, all the other settings, characters, names, plots, etc. belong to her and I make no money from this story.**

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Avalon, but as much as I would love to pretend that I have an interest in long boring stories about your personal life, it is much more preferable if you simply refrain from talking until we finish our research and you can speak with your friends. I am sure that they care more than I do, because I do not care at all."

Avalon snapped her mouth close at Padma's words, despite the fact that she had been in the middle of a sentence. Apparently Neville wasn't wrong about her being self-centered and only talking about herself for long periods of time.

"Sorry," she said.

The two girls were in the greenhouse, caring for and examining their branch of bowtruckles. It was already the beginning of December, and as much as Avalon wanted to focus on their project one hundred percent, she found herself thinking back to earlier in the week, when Professor McGonagall began to take names of students spending the winter holiday at the castle. The number of people remaining at school was strange to Avalon. It wasn't that many more than the previous year, but considering the fact that since the Halloween attack, the Heir of Slytherin had struck again, she would have thought more students would want to go home. This time, the victim was a first year Gryffindor boy called Colin who would often be seen around the castle with his camera. Theo's idea that Potter was the Heir was solidified by this new development, since it was common knowledge that the boy-who-lived was quite annoyed by the antics of the boy-who-would-not-leave-the-boy-who-lived-alone.

She hoped that Neville would be going home to his Gran over the break, because with less students than during term, the people staying during break often encountered each other more often, and having her ex-friend ignore her hurt more than she cared to admit.

"Are you listening to me, Avalon?" Padma put down her wand from the spell she had been performing, and glared at her partner. "I'm sure you remember what I told you when Professor Sprout assigned you as my partner. I said—"

"You told me that at no point would our partnership be anything less than equal and that you wouldn't do extra work to make up for my slacking. Then you threatened to squeal to Professor Sprout if I did so I would get a failing mark," Avalon said in a monotone voice. She sighed loudly. For one thing, Avalon felt like the fear of a 'troll' on an assignment was more terrifying for Padma than her, but she didn't say so or else Padma might up her threats.

"Exactly. Me not listening to your problems doesn't mean you can sit here and daydream about them instead. Now go fetch those herbs I planted two weeks ago and make it snappy."

With a firm nod, Avalon went to the back of the greenhouse and began looking under the work benches. Padma had shoved some potted plants under there so they'd be out of the professor's way, along with a glowing sun-like orb to help them grow. She just needed to remember where. While doing so, she slipped back into her own thoughts.

As far as Daphne, Theo, Blaise, and Draco knew, she stopped being sad about what had happened with Neville a month and a half ago, and she couldn't be bothered to correct them. After all, best person for Avalon to talk about her actual feelings with was the person who wanted to see her the least.

Well, there might be someone who wanted to see her less.

"Oi, Steele! All right? How have you been these days? I've been seeing less of ya lately, which I can't say I'm exactly complaining about!" She heard a familiar jeering voice with an obnoxious Irish lilt.

"Stuff it Finnigan. I'm not in the mood."

Finnigan and his partner, another Gryffindor and Padma's twin sister Parvati, stopped what they were doing to look down at her. Literally look down, because she was still stooped under their workstation.

Avalon stood up and brushed her hands together to dislodge the dirt on her gloves. Parvati looked from Finnigan to Avalon with a curious face, as if she was wondering what was about to happen. So was Avalon.

"You know, Nev and I were just talking about you," Finnigan said after a moment.

She couldn't hide the hopeful look on her face. "You were? What did he say?"

Finnigan's grin widened. "Actually… no wait. I got that one wrong, that's my bad. He wasn't talking about you. Or thinking about you. In fact, this is the happiest I've seen Neville Longbottom in a long time. He's finally purged his life of the soul-sucking dementor scum that is Avalon Steele. This could be the nicest thing you've ever done for him. If you'd stayed friends with him, he'd be a moping bloke who could never reach his true potential."

The tears were beginning to come back, but crying in front of Finnigan would only make her feel worse, and he could go back and tell Neville, which would look bad since he was thriving without her.

She had to do something to turn her sadness into anger, and she had to do it quickly.

 _Hex him. Hex him. Hex him._

Did she want to? Yes. Did she think about it? Also yes.

Avalon quickly flicked her eyes down to her robe pockets, but she had left her wand up at the front of the greenhouse with Padma, who was getting more and more impatient with each passing second. There would only be a few moments before the Ravenclaw girl would come back there and get the herbs herself while either snapping at Avalon for slacking or threatening to tell Professor Sprout to give her a failing grade. Again.

Finnigan's wand was sitting on the table next to their branch. Before either he or Parvati could react, Avalon grabbed it and pointed it at Finnigan. Quickly, he swiped Parvati's wand from her hand and pointed it back, shooting his housemate a quick apology.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't hex you right now," Avalon snarled. She tried to hide the fact that her hand was shaking from her opponent. _Steady breathing, steady hand. In, out. In, out. You've got this._

Finnigan smirked. "What will Neville think if you do?"

That was the last straw. The events of the next few minutes were a blur. Avalon shouted "Stupefy!" at the same moment Finnigan yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Parvati tried to jump out of the way of the amateur duel, and from the front of the greenhouse her sister took out her own wand and cried, "Expelliarmus!" trying to disarm both of them at the same time.

However, neither Avalon nor Finnigan was using their own wand, and the spells were going haywire. Neither student had hit their target, but they seemed to hit everything else. Light bounced off the walls, destroying pots and knocking leaves and arms off various plants. A window shattered. All four students ducked to the ground, but at the last minute, Avalon's stunning spell hit one of the bowtruckles in Seamus and Parvati's branch.

That simple spell, although it would have knocked Finnigan or Parvati or Padma unconscious, had a slightly different effect on the bowtruckle that had fallen victim to it. As Finnigan raised himself from the ground, his eyes widened in shock. "You've killed it!" he said.

"No, b-but I didn't… I didn't mean to."

"He's right," said Padma. She squinted at the lifeless creature who had fallen from the leaves of its tiny tree when Avalon's spell made contact. "It's definitely dead. What is Professor Sprout going to say?"

Avalon shook her head. "This is not my fault. If anything, it's yours. You provoked me, Finnigan. You were intentionally an arsehole."

"But I didn't cast the spell that killed the bowtruckle. Besides, you're the one using advanced magic," he answered. "You tried to knock me unconscious."

The argument was escalating, with Avalon and Finnigan each protesting their fault in the incident and Padma offering her two cents about how they were both equally responsible and deserved failing grades on the project, while she and Parvati ought to work together because anyone was more responsible than Avalon Steele and Seamus Finnigan.

Parvati was still watching the branch, and she back up towards her sister, partner, and the other girl. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Uhhh, guys?"

No one listened to her. They continued yelling and waving their arms about.

"You stupid lot, look at the branch!" She was now shouting at the top of her lungs. The argument halted and the other three students turned to follow her line of vision and were equally as frightened as Parvati.

"Uh-oh."

Professor Sprout had explained to the second years many times that bowtruckles were peaceful creatures. Unless, of course, something was to threaten the wand wood tree, a bowtruckle's branch, or itself. Unfortunately, a stunning spell gone wrong would fall under "threats to the bowtruckle's branch," and none of the four children could explain to the creatures that they meant them no harm. To the bowtruckles, this was war.

They leaped from their tree into the air, scurrying across the floor and beginning to climb up the legs of the four students. Their twig-like fingers were sharp and pinchy, and hurt through the students' robes. But they knew that when the bowtruckles reached their faces, their eyes could be seriously damaged. It was hard to pull the bowtruckles off without allowing more to climb up their arms and legs, but—

Padma screamed.

They all turned despite the pain.

The bowtruckles attacking her had passed her neck, and were trying to pull her hands away from her eyes. It was getting harder and harder for her to fight them off because her face was wet from the tears.

"Arresto momentum!"

Professor Sprout's voice filled the greenhouse. Her slowing spell caused the movements of the creatures to decrease immensely, and the students were able to pull the now snail-like bowtruckles off their bodies. Their teacher briskly walked over to them, her usually kind face red with anger as she conjured a glass box with breathing holes and put the bowtruckles inside. Once this was done, she turned to the students, still livid. "Look at this mess! What were you all thinking? What happened?"

The four began talking over each other in an attempt to explain their own sides to the story. Their teacher waved her hands to cut them off. "One at a time! Who's responsible?"

They all looked at one another.

"I am, Professor," Avalon said after a moment, unable to meet the woman's eyes. "I tried to shoot Finni… err… Seamus with a stunning spell and I missed. It hit the one of the bowtruckles and it died. So they got really upset."

Professor Sprout shook her head. "Never in all my years as a teacher have I seen such recklessness. You'll be spending every evening for the next month in detention with me. I'll also write a letter to your parents. Don't think you'll be watching any Quidditch games either. If you were old enough to visit Hogsmeade, I'd take that privilege away too. And I'll be taking one hundred points from Slytherin."

"Yes, Professor." The tears were back, but this time she decided to let them fall .

"Now help me clean up this mess."

Professor Sprout handed Avalon a broom and dust pan to sweep up the dirt and shattered ceramic pots, while the woman pulled out her wand and began repairing the broken window shards that were on the ground. After a few moments of watching the cleaning, Finnigan, Padma and Parvati started to leave. The girls made their way back to the castle, probably on their way to the Hospital Wing, but as he reached the door, the boy hesitated. "Wait. It's not just Avalon's fault. I'm responsible too, Professor," Finnigan said quietly.

Both Professor Sprout and Avalon looked up from the dirt, pottery, and glass that they were working on in surprise. "Is that so?"

"I provoked her. Avalon was just trying to work on her project, and I started taunting her about something I knew she'd have a reaction to. I deserved that stunning spell, and I tried to but a full body-bind on her as well. If you're going to punish anyone… punish me."

Avalon was confused. Why was Finnigan defending her?

"Well, Seamus, you can join Avalon for a month of detention with no Quidditch game privileges. However, instead of taking one hundred points from Slytherin, I will take fifty from each of your houses. Sound fair?"

"Yes, Professor," they chorused.

"Good," Sprout continued. "Now, I would like both of you to give me your wands. You can clean the rest of this mess the old fashioned way while I go and fill out some paperwork about this before the angry parent Howlers start to pour in. Please, don't destroy anything else."

With that she was gone.

Avalon knelt down again, sweeping up more soil. Why had Finnigan helped her? Was he feeling remorseful for destroying her friendship with Neville? Had he changed into a kinder version of himself?

"Thank you," Avalon muttered quietly.

"Don't mention it," the boy responded. "And don't flatter yourself. I hate unfairness. I would have done it for anyone."

Never mind.

Same old arse.

 **A/N: Cristy here with another update! I've been planning this little arc for a while, and there is going to be something big and exciting in the next chapter! Can anyone guess what it is? Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter, not even remotely. The closest to owning Harry Potter I've come is owning a HP funko and other HP merchandise. So no, I'm not making any money off this story. Obviously. Anyway, enjoy, favorite, follow, leave a review. Or don't. Or do.**


	17. Second Year: The Portrait

**A/N: Its been forever, but I finally have college stuff (pretty much) out of the way for next year, and my English research paper is due Friday, which means after that I PROMISE I'll finally be more active. Okay, so this chapter is one of a few I've been looking forward to since Avalon was a first year, so I'm glad to finally share it with you guys! Once you've finished it, let me know what your thoughts about it are. The next update will definitely not be that long. I hope you enjoy this.  
**

The week before the Christmas holidays, Avalon was in a worse mood than she had been in all year. All of the first years—and even some of the older students—knew to avoid her in class, the library, or the Great Hall if you didn't want your head completely chewed off.

It had even reached the point where, although cordial, her friends tried to limit the time they spent in her presence. The five of them would eat meals together and walk to and from class, but whenever they had free time Avalon would either close herself up in the dormitory or go down to the library, and her friends would play in the snow or hang out in the common room.

There was only one time Daphne tried to coax Avalon down to sit with them instead of in isolation. She never told the boys what exactly went down in their room, but when Daphne returned she was sporting awkwardly drawn on eyebrows and no one knew what had happened to her real ones.

Yet another person no longer on speaking terms with Avalon.

The bright side came only a few days later, when a sign was posted on the notice board by the entrance hall informing students that Duelling Club was going to start. Avalon felt the corners of her mouth turn up in what Theo swore was a smile but no one else could verify. Really, she was just thinking about how nice it would be to hex Finnigan in front of their classmates.

After dinner, Avalon was sitting in the Common Room with a silent Blaise. They were both working on a Transfiguration paper, Blaise because he liked to get his work done ahead of time, and Avalon because she had detention with Sprout and Duelling Club later and wouldn't have time to truly procrastinate. She had no clue where Theo or Daphne were, and knew that they didn't want to see her either.

"Is everything all right?"

Avalon's head shot up and she squinted at Blaise. Then she looked around the Common Room with a confused look on her face. "Are you talking to me?"

Blaise rested his quill gently in his inkwell before continuing to speak. "Well, yeah. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were all best friends. Now you're not even talking to us anymore, and you did Merlin-knows-what to Daphne's eyebrows. What did he say?" Blaise asked. "How did you let Finnigan get to you that badly?"

"It's not just that," Avalon said. "People just keep leaving me, Blaise. Lucy was bad enough, but now Neville too?"

"I'm sorry."

"Lucy had to interact with me, you know. I'm her sister. So maybe it's only natural that we would drift apart or she'd rather be with Charlie. But what about Neville? He chose to be my friend, and suddenly just kicks me to the curb because someone is petrifying muggleborns? I had _nothing_ to do with that." Avalon hated the fact that she always wanted to cry, and struggled to stem the flow of her tears.

Blaise moved across the room so that he was next to Avalon and gently patted her back, gentle circles. "I know."

After a few moments of silence, Avalon turned to face Blaise. He never said much in moments like this, but he was a better listener than her other friends. Theo would have cracked at least seven bad jokes by this point. Daphne would have told Avalon how much she didn't need Lucy or Neville, which was empowering and all but sometimes you need someone to just hear your problems and agree with you. Like Blaise. If she had chosen to confide in Draco, he probably would have turned the tables and she would have ended up giving him a pseudo-therapy session instead, because he had a tendency to only talk about himself, even when other people had things that they wanted to…

"Oh."

Like she had done to Neville in the year that they had been friends. She was his Draco Malfoy, minus the bullying Draco actually put Neville through all the time.

Unknowingly, Blaise had made her feel like an even worse friend.

She stood up and said a quick goodbye to the boy before rushing up to her dormitory to put her books away before detention with Sprout.

When Avalon reached the greenhouses, Finnigan was already there, sitting with Professor Sprout. She was only a few minutes late, but had you seen their faces you would have assumed that they had been waiting for hours in the greenhouse. Avalon pulled on her dragonhide gloves and avoided eye contact with the boy.

"Are we doing more planting, Professor? Or tending to the mandrakes again?"

Professor Sprout started tugging on her dragon hide gloves and slipped her arms into her cloak. "Actually, we won't be in the greenhouses today. Hagrid asked if he could borrow the two of you, and I feel it's the perfect way to give you both a real life application for what I've taught in class. You both could use it, if the Bowtruckle incident is any indication." She began to lead the pair down to the hut by the edge of the forest.

With a firm hand, Professor Sprout knocked on the door.

"'ang on a second!"

A series of clatters and crashes could be heard from inside the hut before the door opened. The large man who appeared in the doorway was Rubeus Hagrid. Avalon remembered from her first evening at Hogwarts, over a year ago, when he took the first years across the lake in boats and she met Neville, Granger, and Terry Boot.

"Hello Hagrid," said Professor Sprout cordially. She nudged Finnigan and Avalon forward and they stumbled towards the man. "This is Avalon Steele and Seamus Finnigan. I promised you two helpers, and these rule breakers are yours for the next hour and a half. You can send them back up to the castle about fifteen minutes before eight o clock, in case they want to go to Duelling Club this evening." The witch turned to leave, but stopped and peered over at the pair. "If I find out that you two were misbehaving, I'll add more detentions to your sentence, understand?"

"Yes, professor."

With that, she was gone.

Hagrid led them inside his hut. It had only one room, with pheasants and hams hanging from the ceiling. He walked over the table and grabbed a kettle before suspending it over the fireplace. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Finnigan eyed the gray lumps on a plate that Hagrid was more likely than not going to offer if they said yes.

"No thank you. We came from dinner not too long ago."

Normally, Avalon would detest Finnigan speaking for her, but she was grateful for it. She had no clue what the lumps were—or at least what they were supposed to be—and there was absolutely nothing in her that wanted to find out.

"Suit yerself."

Hagrid sat down and began eating, while Avalon and Finnigan stood above him sharing awkward glances.

"Umm… Hagrid?" Avalon said after a few moments of silence. "What should we be doing?"

"Oh right! My bad, let's go outside and get to work. We need to build a higher fence for the roosters. Somethin's been attacking 'em, I already lost three last week. If this keeps up they'll all be gone before Christmas," said Hagrid. He cleaned up his lumps and put some in his pocket for later before exiting the hut, Avalon and Finnigan moving their legs twice as fast to keep up with Hagrid's. He went out to the roosters and showed them the pieces of wood he had set aside for the fence they were building. "Seamus, there's a hammer to your left. Avalon, if you'd just grab the nails over there…"

Finnigan looked at the tool in his hand with a confused expression on his face. "Why are we using these tools? Can't we just use magic?"

Hagrid's face was momentarily upset. "You need to know how to do things with your hands, too, not jus' with magic."

Avalon elbowed Finnigan in the ribs—hard. He glared at her and rubbed his side, but quickly turned back to Hagrid and listened to the instructions that the large man was giving them.

By the time Hagrid dismissed Avalon and Finnigan, they had completely rebuilt the fence and they had only twenty minutes to change out of their sweaty robes before the Duelling Club started. They said goodbye to him and began the trek back to the castle.

"What do you think's been attacking Hagrid's roosters?" Avalon said after they left his hut.

"There are lots of things that live in the forest. Apparently there's a herd of centaurs. I heard about it last year afte Harry, Hermione, and Neville got back from detention," said Finnigan. He didn't seem to notice Avalon's reaction to his words, and kept talking. "Although from what I know about them, it's pretty unlikely that they'd come out of the Forest and kill a bunch of birds."

They continued walking in silence until Finnigan finally spoke again. "Today I hated you marginally less than I usually do."

"Thanks."

"Do you think that whatever's attacking students is the same thing killing the roosters?"

Avalon turned to him and scowled. "Why are you asking me, Finnigan? Do you still think that because I'm a Slytherin, I'm evil and behind the attacks? Grow up already. I'm just as vulnerable as everyone else here."

"Yeah right," Finnigan said. "Even if you're not the one doing this, I wouldn't call you 'just as vulnerable as everyone else.' On Halloween, the message said 'Enemies of the Heir beware,' and Malfoy said, 'you'll be next mudbloods.' And who's been attacked so far? Colin Creevey. A muggleborn. And a cat, but I don't know the connection there. My point is, you Slytherins pride yourselves on your 'pure' blood. You're not vulnerable, you're sitting prety."

"Just shut up, Finnigan, for once in your life!"

The rest of the walk was tense until they finally reached the castle. They remained silent until they approached the 'splitting point' in their journey, where Finnigan would turn right to go to the Gryffindor Tower, and Avalon would exit left to reach the Slytherin Dungeon.

"See you at Duelling Club," Finnigan said smugly, twirling his wand between his fingers. "Let's hope I get the chance to hex you."

"You'll probably blow up the Great Hall in the process."

With that, they went their separate ways.

There were only five minutes until the start of Duelling Club, Avalon mused, so she'd have to do the fasted changing of clothes in her life. She was so busy rushing to her house, that she didn't see Justin Finch-Fletchley—a Hufflepuff boy in her year—until it was too late. They collided and his books and papers went flying.

"Sorry about that."

Without a word in response, Justin gathered his belongings and ran off. Avalon didn't let herself feel annoyed at this, since he was also late for Duelling Club.

She was about to leave, when a portrait a few meters down the corridor spoke to her. "Miss! Your companion seems to have dropped his textbook. It's under my frame."

The woman in the portrait was regally dressed and posing dramatically on her chais, in front of a large floor length mirror that took up the left half of the picture. She set down the bowl of fruit she had been holding/pretending to eat and waved her arms around.

"Oh thanks," said Avalon. She picked up the book and turned it over in her hands. _1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi._ Neville's favorite too. "I'll give this to him at Duelling Club."

Suddenly, the portrait woman's face turned as white as a sheet, and she made a small 'o' with her mouth before rushing out of the picture and running down the corridor through the frames of her neighbors, who Avalon noticed had also disappeared. She thought she saw a flash of green in the corner of the mirror, but wasn't actually paying atteniton.

"What the…?"

Avalon leaned closer to the frame and stared at the mirror, wondering if whatever it was would come back again. And what had made the portait subjects vanish so quickly? Was it something in the picture?

Suddenly, the green thing slithered through the mirror again, and Avalon felt herself tense up. Everything went dark.


	18. Second Year: Petrification

The next day, everyone was buzzing. News traveled around Hogwarts like wildfire.

First, McGonagall had walked into the Great Hall during breakfast with a somber expression on her face. As she made her way to the Head Table, the witch pointed her wand at her throat and said, "Would the following students please come with me? Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, and Neville Longbottom?"

The five students rose from their seats and met her by the doors of the Great Hall. All eyes were on them, because what could this group have in common?

But as they exchanged uneasy glances, it was clear that they knew exactly what they had in common.

"Is she all right, Professor?" Neville asked as they walked briskly down the corridor. His voice was quivering and it was clear he was trying not to burst into tears on the spot.

"Don't act like you're so worried about Avalon now, Longbottom," Daphne interjected rudely, bumping into the smaller boy with her shoulder. "We all know that you told her you didn't want to be friends anymore because of everything that was going on. You didn't care what happened to her when she spent her days crying in the library."

Blaise glared at Daphne. "You're not any better, Daphne. When was the last time you talked to Avalon? The eyebrow incident?"

Daphne's hand flew to her face instantly, as if making sure her eyebrows were still firmly planted on her face. They all begain bickering over who had been the worst friend to the girl over the past few weeks.

"Would you all shut up?"

Everyone looked at Theo, whose face was bright read and his fists clenched from his outburst. "Sorry for shouting, Professor, but I couldn't take them rowing anymore. Where is Avalon? Is she all right? Has she been…" his voice trailed off. "You know."

They had finally reached the Hospital Wing, and Professor McGonagall led them inside. "See for yourself."

Stretched out on one of the beds in the Wing, next to Colin Creevey, was Avalon. As she laid on her back, her eyes were squinting at something they couldn't see and her mouth formed a small 'o.' Daphne reached out and took Avalon's hand, which was stretched out as if she had been touching something only right in front of her.

"I'm sorry Avalon. I shouldn't have been ignoring you. You've always been there for me, and I wish I could've done the same."

She was sobbing by this point, and Theo reached out and gently touched her elbow in a sign of comfort. Neville felt out of place in the room full of Slytherins, but suddenly abandoning Avalon—at Seamus' suggestion—seemed silly. Obviously she had nothing to do with the attacks, or else she wouldn't have been petrified. He'd had no idea that she'd be so upset at the end of their friendship. To him, she was a strong Slytherin girl who would move on and just increase her time spent with Daphne, Blaise, and the others.

"You have to come back to us," he muttered. This message was for Avalon, and Avalon alone. "I won't be able to help you in Herbology if you're petrified."

They all stood in silence for a few minutes, looking down at her. In this moment, all the bad blood between Neville and Draco didn't matter. Neville almost forgot about the time the other boy had stolen his remembrall and taken to the sky on a broom, and the countless other offending incidents. Right then, all they could think about was their friend.

"When was she petrified?" Blaise asked finally.

"We don't know for sure," came Madam Pomfrey's response, as she made her way from her office to the main section of the Hospital Wing. "Cedric Diggory and Gemma Farley found her last night doing their rounds. She was in one of the out-of-the-way corridors near the Slytherin dungeons."

"The shortcut," said the Slytherin students in unison.

Blaise nodded. "She was probably on her way back from detention with Professor Sprout. She and Seamus Finnigan have been doing work for her every night because there was a Herbology incident."

"I've heard," Professor McGonagall said. "Seamus is in my house."

"He probably had something do with it," said Daphne with a sneer. "It's no secret he hates Avalon. Maybe he lured her into a trap after they left detention and let Harry Potter finish her off."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I agree. You saw what happened last night?

Professor McGonagall turned her stern gaze to the girl. "Ms. Greengrass! Harry Potter being 'the Heir of Slytherin' is a nasty rumor, and I don't want to see it brought up again, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Professor."

There was a voice from the doorway of the Hospital Wing.

"I didn't have anything to do with this."

They all turned to see Seamus Finnigan behind them holding his wand in one hand and clutching his forearm with the other. Neville seemed to be the only one not annoyed by the boy's presence, but didn't make any move to wave at his friend. It wasn't the time nor the place.

Finnigan took a tentative step towards them. "I'm serious. I didn't even know that she was… like this. The last time I saw her was when we got to the castle, I told her I'd see her at Duelling Club and then I went to the common room and changed. Then I went to Duelling Club. I was actually a little bit worried when I didn't see her there."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious," said Finnigan, nervously fiddling with his sleeve. "I didn't assume she was petrified or anything. Maybe just sick. She didn't have her cloak on outside."

 _SFSFSFSF_

 _"_ _See you at Duelling Club," Seamus said smugly, twirling his wand between his fingers. "Let's hope I get the chance to hex you."_

 _"_ _You'll probably blow up the Great Hall in the process."_

 _With that, Steele turned away from him and began walking in the other direction. Seamus stood for a few moments more, rooted to the spot as he watched her go. His wand clattered to the floor but he waited until the girl had turned the corner, shiny brown ringlets swinging behind her, before stooping to pick it up._

 _It was a secret he would take to his grave._

 _Seamus Finnigan did not hate Avalon Steele. In fact, the opposite was actually true. But he shook these thoughts from his head and began to run in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower so he could change his clothes._

 _SFSFSF_

"Yeah, right," Daphne repeated.

The Gryffindor Head of House gave the Slytherin girl a look, making it clear that she did not approve of her comments towards the boy. She turned to the other students. "Now, you five should try to go about your day. Your first class will be starting soon. Ms. Steele is in excellent hands here. Now, Mr. Finnigan, I'm assuming that there's been some sort of pyrokinetic mishap and you need Madam Pomfrey's immediate attention? I'll see you in Transfiguration."

Finnigan seemed to have forgotten about his injured arm and looked at Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey with a dazed expression on his face, until he looked down and saw the burn on his wrist peeking out from under his robe sleeve.

"Oh."

Daphne, Blaise, Neville, Theo, and Draco found themselves being ushered out of the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Avalon and Colin in their beds to check their vital signs.

Within an hour, the entire school had heard about her predicament. Suddenly, the Slytherin students weren't even safe from the Heir of Slytherin.

"At least we can breathe for a few moments before the next attack, yeah?" Theo said as they walked from the dungeons towards their next class.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was petrified later that day.


	19. Second Year: Bellglade Manor

Tinkle was extremely nervous. Not only was she going to see Dobby for the first time in years, but she would be be encountering his master, Lucius Malfoy. The terrifying man was known for his treatment of those he viewed as being "lesser" than him, often directed towards muggles and muggleborn wizards but especially evident in the presence of house elves. He was even worse than her own master. Everthing had to be absolutely perfect if she was to avoid punishment for inadequate service. Tinkle sat in a frantic heap on the kitchen floor, surrounded by rags and large containers of Madam Glossy's Silver Polish as she furiously scrubbed Master Steele's favorite serving tray.

"Shiny silver, shiny silver," the small house elf chanted. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Suddenly, the kitchen door flew open as Edgar and Isla Steele entered, in the middle of a heated discussion.

The patriarch and matriarch of the Steele household were at odds more often than they'd care to admit to their friends and fellow pureblood families, and this day was no exception.

Tinkle cowered behind her rag as Master Edgar's robes billowed around him, his arms waving erratically to emphasize his point. "There's no sense going to the school, Isla," he was saying. "Did you take the time to finish Dumbledore's letter? Nothing can be done for her until they make the mandrake draught. That's months longer, at least."

"How can you possibly be so calm right now? Do you care that our daughter has been petrified?"

"Of course I care."

"That's surprising to hear. After all, you usually can't be bothered to give Avalon the time of day. She knows it too. Why would this time be any different? Can you name a single one of her friends? Even the ones she's grown up with?" Isla asked. Without even acknowledging Tinkle, she scooped up the tray from the house elf and began to place dishes on it.

The house elf shot up. "Mistress, please stop! That's Tinkle's job, and Tinkle can do it. Tinkle is a good girl."

"Oh no, there isn't a need for tea today, Tinkle. I'm hoping that Lucius Malfoy's visit will be a short one." Then Edgar turned to his distraught wife. "And I can name her friends. There's the Greengrass girl, the Zabini boy, and the Nott boy."

Isla raised her eyebrows and brushed her shiny blonde curls out of her face. "Those are their family names, not their given names."

"Whether or not I can recall the names of other people's children does not reflect how well I know my own."

Tinkle, who had been nervously clutching the silverware since Edgar had addressed her moments earlier, found the courage to speak again. "Master Steele? Tinkle always makes tea when guests visit the Manor. Even if Mister Malfoy does not stay long enough to enjoy it, Tinkle would like to serve Master and Mistress. It brings Tinkle much joy."

"Fine, you stupid elf. Do what you want."

With tears in her eyes, Tinkle took the cups and tea pot from Isla and arranged them as best she could. Edgar stormed out of the kitchen with his robes billowing around him.

The house had been much lonelier since Lucy and Avalon had reached "Hogwarts Age." Although her Mistress Isla was kind enough, the girls went above and beyond and had a special place in Tinkle's heart. And despite the dropped voices and whispers whenever Tinkle walked into a room, she had a good idea of what was going on.

Something had happened to her Avalon.

She didn't know what it was, but she was going to find out.

Forty minutes later, the flames of the fireplace began to flicker green and Lucius Malfoy stepped out of them, a small house elf by the name of Dobby in tow.

There was a look of quiet disdain on Lucius' face as Edgar approached him, holding out his hand in greeting. Solemnly, the two men shook. The former reached out his walking stick with the snake's head and pushed Dobby towards Tinkle. "I will be speaking with Edgar. Make yourself useful and help his elf clean up the place a little bit. Usually when I am expecting company, I make sure you do adequate work, but I realize now that not everyone holds their home to the same standards."

Edgar looked as though he was holding back a retort, a slap, or both.

Tinkle stepped forward, shaking. "Master Edward and Mistress Isla keep a very clean home, sir! And Tinkle makes sure of that."

Crack!

In one fluid motion, Lucius had struck the house elf across the face, hard. She stumbled a bit and grabbed her cheek, Dobby reaching out to support her. Edgar said nothing, only furrowed his brow as Lucius regained his composure and continued to glare down at Tinkle. "You filthy little mongrel. Do not forget your place. Watch your tongue as you speak to wizards like myself. If you were my house elf, your punishment would have been much worse."

"Lucius. Come."

"Edgar, do not address me as if I am an animal." But he followed the other man down the hallway regardless.

They reached a large mahogany door. Edgar pulled out a key.

His study was one of the finest wings of Bellglade Manor. It was the only place in the estate that Isla and the girls never entered. They could if they wanted, of course, as Edgar wasn't the type to ban them from parts of their own home, but it was his sanctum of solitude and his wife and daughters respected that fact. In addition to a desk and a comfortable spinning chair and a window, the study had wall-to-wall bookshelves that almost completely covered the rich burgundy walls. Lucius followed Edgar inside and he made himself at home in one of the padded chairs next to a coffee table and a stack of large history tomes.

"How have you and Narcissa been?" Edgar asked.

"Skip the pleasantries, Edgar," Lucius said. He inspected his nails nonchalantly. "We both know that there is a reason that you've invited me here since we haven't spoken in months. If you couldn't be bothered to offer me tea, at least get to the point."

Edgar leaned against his desk as he continued, making direct eye contact with Lucius. "I assume you're aware of the goings on at Hogwarts School as of late?"

"I'm the chairman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Of course I'm aware. However, I was under the impression that Albus Dumbledore wanted to keep everything under wraps. So how is it that you've come to know?" Lucius asked.

"He sent a letter home two days ago. My daughter was the first of the two most recent victims."

"My condolensces."

For the second time during Lucius' visit, Edgar's brow furrowed. "She isn't dead, Lucius, but I appreciate your concern." The other man shrugged. For a few moments, neither of the pair spoke. They only stared at each other. Cold blue met steely grey in a silent battle of wills.

"If you don't mind me asking, what does your daughter's… condition have to do with me? I hope you don't take this question the wrong way, I'm just a bit confused."

There was another pause.

"I wanted to find out what you knew about the situation. What it could potentially mean for… for certain people."

"Certain people?"

"This has His name written all over it." Edgar paused. "And there's something else written on yours."

At some point during the conversation, Lucius' walking stick had fallen over and rolled under the desk and he bent to get it. When he straightened up again, he took a deep breath and then responded. "It was before that night, the night he fell. He entrusted me with a book. A diary. I don't know the full extent of its significance, but He told me that it would be the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets."

"The Chamber of Secrets."

"It's happened before, you know. A girl—"

Edgar held up a hand to silence the other man. "I'm very familiar with the story. It was the spring before my first year, but it was still fresh on everyone's minds then. Years later I learned the truth about the incident. Continue."

"I've gotten rid of it, of course. That blasted Arthur Weasley's raids have us all on edge at this point. I decided to kill two birds with one stone." At Edgar's intrigued expression, Lucius continued and recounted his encounter of the Weasleys at Flourish and Blotts with Draco and Avalon, and how he subtely slipped the diary into the Weasley girl's cauldron. "Even if the Chamber of Secrets hadn't been reopened like this, if her father was caught with an item that He deemed important, Weasley would be ruined. Dark magic, indeed."

"I had a feeling you'd hold the answers I needed. Tell me, what of my daughter's condition?"

"Petrification is reversible, but with any luck, by the time antidotes are being administered Dumbledore will have either stepped down or been removed from his post, the old cook," Lucius chuckled.

"He will be pleased."

"Will be?"

Edgar leaned forward. "There's always a chance that…."

Lucius's left arm jerked involuntarily, and he quickly grabbed it with his right hand to still the movement. No further explanation was needed. He understood exactly what Edgar was implying with his comment. "You can't possibly expect me to believe what you're saying. There's no way, Edgar."

Running an anxious hand through his salt and pepper hair, Edgar whirled around. He placed his finger along the spines of the volumes on the bookshelf, looking for a specific tome. He plucked it from its nest and placed it in the center of the desk so Lucius could read the title.

"Magick Moste Evile."

"I haven't finished looking through it, but there are ways. He could be…"

"It's possible. It's hard to say what exists and has yet to be discovered in the world, but I'm sure that I speak for many of us when I say that until something is certain, we don't do anything. We've worked hard to avoid Azkaban up until this point, and there's no sense rocking the boat," Lucius answered finally.

"Not all of us."

Another long pause. This time, there was a slightly pained expression on Lucius' face. "And up until today, you have barely spoken to me since. Isla always sent a Christmas card, though."

"Narcissa too." Edgar stood up and walked to the door of the study. Lucius assumed the other man was throwing him out until he pulled open the door and stuck out his head. "Tinkle!" he called. "We'll be needing tea after all. Lucius and I have much to discuss."

They both chuckled.

As her father and her friend's father sat in a large room laughing and plotting over steaming cups of tea, Avalon Steele was petrified. Unable to speak or move, alone in a room that smelled of antiseptic potion and loneliness aside from the occasional friend sitting by her bedside after classes had finished.

As her husband held a cordial business meeting with an ex-friend he hadn't recently been on the best of terms with, Isla Steele cried herself to sleep in her chamber. Her daughter had been attacked, and she was alone in the feelings of parental concern. She was losing both her baby and her husband.

As Lucius Malfoy continued to laugh and talk about the many ways this plot could go, Edgar Steele had only one thought in his mind. For the greater good. His daughter was a price he was willing to pay if he could continue the journey he started forty years ago.

For the greater good.

That night, another skeleton appeared in one of the many closets of Bellglade Manor.

 **A/N: This chapter was actually a lot of fun for me to write. So far, youve seen very little of Avalon's parents (most of the story takes place at school and even when it doesn't they're not that important. In fact, this was the only chapter where I've used their names) and it was interesting to show their perspectives on Avalon's condition, obviously it's very different for Edgar than it is for Isla. It was also interesting to me because many chapters ago when Avalon was at King's Cross first year, her father was cold towards her and Isla said "don't worry about him, he loves you" and we actually got to see him thinking without Avalon watching or Isla interpreting.**

 **Anyway, there is going to probably be one more chapter of second year (since the story revolves around her I don't just want to follow Daphne and Theo and Neville around for seven more months) and then onto third. There will be big changes! New faces, new problems! Stay tuned!**

 **If you liked this chapter and want to see more, leave a review, or follow/favorite!**

 **If you hated this chapter and hope I stop writing forever,** **leave a review, or follow/favorite!**


	20. Second Year: The Hospital Wing

_Darkness._

 _Silence._

 _Cold._

 _And then suddenly, warmth._

It started at her mouth and then spread to the rest of her face quickly, like the feeling one gets after coming in from a day in the snow and spending an evening in front of the fireplace.

"Go on now," came a soothing, familiar voice. "You'll have to open your eyes, dear. You need to drink this."

Coughing, Avalon blinked repeatedly and tried to scrape the crust out of her eyes. Her hands were still rigidly frozen in place. She managed to get her eyes open and could see that she was propped up in a bed in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey held out a cup of something the color of Tinkle's split pea soup. "Why am I here?"

"Bottoms up. There will be time for explanations later. Oi! If you lot are going to hang around, make yourselves useful and hand out more mandrake draughts, will you? You have to put a little bit on their lips first, let it seep in, and then once they start to revive give it to them to drink. Leave the ghost to me," called the mediwitch. Before Avalon could strain her stiff neck in a pointless attempt to see who was bein addressed, Madam Pomfrey was helping her gulp down the potion. It was thick and frothy, with a bitter taste that made the girl gag.

"What is this?"

The warmth was spreading further, from her neck and chest, to her stomach and arms, and finally to her legs. It hurt to move them, but it was possible.

"It's a mandrake restorative draught," said Madam Pomfrey. "You've been petrified. There's going to be pain at first, seeing as you haven't moved in about five months and your body isn't used to bending in certain ways anymore, but if it hasn't gone away in about half an hour, I can give you a potion for it."

"Five months?" Avalon cried. She sat up too quickly and winced.

The patient in the bed next to her moaned. "Ugh, my head."

It was Hermione Granger. Avalon slowly turned her head towards the girl and watched as Theo supported her neck and shoulders while Daphne held out a goblet full of the disgusting tasting potion. Across the Hospital Wing, Blaise was spreading some across Justin Finch-Fletchley's lips as Madam Pomfrey had instructed. The latter had moved on to Colin Creevey and was doing the same.

"What are you all doing here?" Avalon asked. The last she could remember, only Blaise had been on speaking terms with her, and that was only in casual, polite conversation.

"We've been here every day, between classes and meals. We were worried about you, what do you think? Honestly, Avalon," said Daphne. And the other girl smiled, because it had been so long since she had heard her best friend say 'honestly, Avalon' in the way she did. It had been so long since she'd heard Daphne say anything at all.

In one fluid motion Avalon pushed herself out of the bed—ignoring her screaming joints—and wrapped her arms around the girl, a huge smile on her face. Within moments, Theo and Blaise joined in the group hug. "We'be had a lot of time to think and everything," said Theo, "and we're sorry for everything. Whatever we were fighting about doesn't matter."

"What matters is our friendship," Blaise added.

Avalon laughed. "Did you actually just say that? I'd expect it from Theo, but you? You're so corny." She paused. "I love you guys."

"As sweet as this moment is, if you three want to stay here, I need you to get back to work. There are more people who need to be restored," Madam Pomfrey cut in.

They scurried to their posts, helping the older witch with the task of administering mandrake restorative draught to the patients.

Avalon made her way back to her bed and climbed under the sheets, resting for a moment while her friends busied themselves. As she laid her head on the pillow, there was a crackling sound from under it. With a curious expression Avalon stuck her hand under the pillow and was met with a series of papers. She pulled them out and began to laugh. There were about six papers, each covered with a series of sketches and doodles. Some featured Snape in silly costumes, with Dumbledore's beard, or on the body of a cat. There was one of Avalon having tea with the Giant Squid by the lake, and quite a few of the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch matches featuring one team in tutus and the other with excessive sideburns. Avalon's personal favorite was of Neville in the greenhouse tending to the plants. It took up an entire piece of parchment and the artist had captured Neville's happiness where Herbology was concerned. Who was the artist, anyway? One of the pictures had a short inscription on the back: _I had some free time siting in the Hospital Wing._

Avalon stuck her hand back under the pillow and came up with a carefully folded piece of parchment, her name on the front in careful print.

She opened it and read the words inside.

 _Steele,_

 _I figured a letter would be best, especially since we haven't always been on the best of terms and I'm sure you being petrified for a few months hasn't changed that._

 _Anyway, I'm sorry about what happened. I feel responsible. When you were attacked, it was after our detention with Professor Sprout. There had already been announcements that students shouldn't walk around the castle alone, because it wasn't safe (for obvious reasons). I should have walked with you to the dungeons, or at least made sure that you were with someone. It sounds stupid, I know, but maybe if I hadn't just walked away you wouldn't have ended up like that. Sure, I can't say anything for certain, but you know what I mean._

 _If you're reading this, I guess it means you're okay. I'm glad. (But if you were to say that to anyone, I'd deny it and say that I didn't actually write this note.)_

 _Also, there's some good that came from this whole ordeal. Professor Sprout didn't think it was right for me to have detention with her by myself, and seeing as you were in the Hospital Wing and all, she waived the remainder of our detentions. So you can rest easy knowing you don't have to make them up. Between you and me though, I ended up in the greenhouses with Neville and Sprout a few times. I didn't have anything else to take my mind off the guilt. Not to mention the stress I felt trying to finish the bowtruckle assignment. Professor Sprout put Padma in a group with me and Parvati, and it was the most stressful time of my life. She's a bit… much. I don't know how you held up as long as you did. Parvati and I would show her the data we collected in class, and she'd tell us all the ways that we were wrong. It was lots of fun._

 _I'm kind of rambling, so I'll end this letter now. Obviously, I don't expect you and I to be the best of friends. Where would be the fun in that? You're a worthy nemesis._

 _Sincerely,_

 _(Seamus) Finnigan_

 _P. S. I hope you like the pictures, it's probably boring waiting for your legs to wake up_

After finishing his letter and flipping through his drawings a few more times, Avalon must have been smiling to herself because Daphne hopped over and propped her elbows onto the bed. "What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing," she said, and hastily shoved the parchment into the pocket of her robes.

"You're all free to leave," said Madam Pomfrey. "Go back to your houses and get freshened up. I believe the Headmaster was saying something about a feast."

Theo nudged Avalon. "You'd better get 's going to take forty minutes at least to brush away five months of morning breath."

She punched him. Then, as Avalon prepared to leave with her friends—because Theo did have a point—she saw one patient who had yet to move. Ginny Weasley was sitting in a bed by the corner, staring out the window into the dark landscape beyond, looking incredibly small. Her eyes were wide and she kept twiddling her thumbs in between hurried sips from a hot chocolate mug.

"Ginny was petrified?" she asked Madam Pomfrey in a quiet voice as the witch began to wave her wand over the soiled bed linens.

"She's here for a different malady."

Avalon waited for a response from Madam Pomfrey, but it never came, and after a few more moments of silence, she realized it wasn't going to. As she turned to leave again, the younger girl turned her head and caught Avalon's eye briefly. Neither of them spoke. Not wanting to justify why she was staring, Avalon followed Theo out the door.

The walk to the dungeons was a lengthy one, and Avalon's friends spent the majority of it filling her in on what she had missed. The story had only just surged through the school about an hour before Avalon and the other victims had started to receive the potion.

"A basilisk?" Avalon asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Blaise nodded. "You're lucky you didn't see it directly, or you'd be dead right now."

Theo jumped in. "Potter and Weasley went into the Chamber of Secrets with Professor Lockhart to save Ginny Weasley."

That's why she had been in the Hospital Wing.

"I'm not surprised. Potter playing the hero again."

"Draco's currently sulking with Crabbe and Goyle in the common room. Apparently his father was removed as the chairman of the Board of Governers, and somehow Potter caused him to lose his family house elf," said Blaise. "I'm kind of glad. He's been getting insufferable lately.

"So what I'm hearing is, I hadn't missed out on anything in the 'Draco's Inflating Ego' department," Avalon laughed.

"He's the same Sleekeazy's Poster Child we all love to hate and hate to love."

This last bit was said as they entered the common room, and the boy in question was draped across an armchair dramatically, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "Thanks Daphne. I'm glad to hear you think so highly of me. The suspense has been keeping me up at night."

She offered him a hand to help him up, but once he was on his feet she simply took his seat. "Go get ready, you prat. The feast is going to start soon."

"I'm not going."

"You're a big baby. Come on."

Daphne handed him off to Blaise and Theo, who dragged him to their dorm. Daphne and Avalon did the same (Avalon had to clear Pansy and Millicent's trunks and books and robes off her bed, because they simply saw it as extra storage space in light of her extended absence) and within twenty minutes the five of them were sitting in the Great Hall in their pajamas.

"What an eventful year," Daphne mused as she sipped from a steaming mug of pumpkin juice and crossed her legs under her. "Hopefully the rest of it will be a little more peaceful."

Theo raised his own cup. "To relaxation as we try to study for exams! Actually, who I am I kidding? I probably won't study."

"How am I supposed to study five months worth of curriculum in a few weeks? I'm going to get 'Trolls' on all of my exams. Maybe a 'Dreadful' if I'm lucky." Avalon's head was buried in her hands, and she made a sound similar to the one Draco made in the common room after every time Harry Potter caught the snitch, or did anything.

Her prayers were answered, however, when McGonagall and Dumbledore stood up in front of the celebrating school and began to make short speeches.

"In light of recent events, we would first like to award 200 points each to Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, for their brave and valiant efforts in saving not only the life of Ginny Weasley, but our beloved school and every person who calls its walls home." No one was very surprised by the announcement, seeing as it had happened the year before. "My second announcement is one that will delight all of you, I'm sure. As a school treat, all end-of-the-year exams have been canceled."

Cheers and whoops could be heard throughout the Great Hall, and Theo knocked over two goblets of orange juice in his excitement, neither of which was his. Blaise and Draco glared and tried to mop up the offending juice from their plates.

"Thank Merlin," Avalon breathed.

Dumbledore stepped up next. "I also have an announcement. Professor Lockhart, our esteemed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, will be unable to return to his position next year, owing to the fact that he needs to go away and get his memory back."

The cheers weren't as loud as the previous time, but it was clear that a lot of people were excited that he would be leaving. Blaise wiped away a single tear and placed his hand over his heart. "This is the gift that keeps on giving."

A few moments later, Avalon stood up. "I'll be back guys," she said. "I want to say hello to Neville."

"I make no promises to save any food for you," Theo, with his mouth full of food, called to her retreating back, but she was already gone and didn't respond. Or it was possible she just ignored him because turning around would have meant getting an eyeful of his half-chewed meal.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Neville seemed surprised to see Avalon. He was sure she would have still been mad at him, but she threw her arms around his neck and he apologized and she apologized and by that time the following year, neither of them could remember why they had stopped being friends in the first place. "I'm glad you're all right," said Neville.

"Me too," said Avalon. She had missed him as much as she missed Daphne. "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to leave before noticing Finnigan sitting on Neville's other side, in the middle of a conversation with Dean Thomas. The latter nudged Finnigan, and he turned to see what his best mate was looking at.

"Oh. Hi, Steele."

"Hello Finnigan."

The other Gryffindors were beginning to stare at this point. This was the part where one of them insulted the other, those watching had all seen the show enough times to know how this rerun was going to end. But there was a twist. To the surprise of everyone in their immediate vicinity, neither said a word. Instead, Avalon took two steps forward and hugged Finnigan. And he hugged her back.

Neville looked down the table at Dean. "What's happening?"

"No idea."

After their shocking hug, neither Avalon nor Finnigan looked like anything out of the ordinary had happened. Avalon went back to the Slytherin table, and he began to scoop fried sausages onto his plate. "Is there something you're not telling us?" Neville asked.

"No."

Dean turned to Harry Potter across the table. "If you go to the Slytherin table and hug Malfoy, well know that the world has officially gone crazy."

And they all laughed.

 **A/N: Aha, here we are, the end of second year! Prepare for some summer shenanigans (and a break from the "Seavalon" I've been shoving down your throats throughout her second year haha). Anyway, drop a comment below, and I'll see you guys soon for the next update.**


	21. Summer: The Birthday Party

As the summer sun beat down on their backs in the garden of Bellglade Manor, Avalon and her friends were plotting something. The four children were huddled in ornate lawn chairs, around a table and a tray of tiny cucumber sandwiches and chocolate frogs, whispering in low tones so the adults in the house couldn't hear what was being discussed.

It had been only three days since the Hogwarts Express had brought them back to King's Cross Station. During the first hour of her return, Avalon's father had asked her if she was feeling better, to which she responded, 'yes.' She hadn't seen him since. On the flip side, the visit of Avalon's friends had been the first time Isla had left her younger daughter alone since they crossed the threshold of Bellglade Manor. Mrs. Steele also invited the other children out of sympathy, because Avalon had just received news that she didn't like at all.

"It's only going to be for a few days, Avalon," said Blaise, forever the voice of reason to the others, even when the reason wasn't wanted. "And besides, your cousins aren't that bad. Sure, they're a little weird, From what I remember, Estella was kind of cute."

"She's a pureblood girl with a pulse, of course you find her cute," Daphne responded.

Avalon rolled her eyes and took a sip from the glass of lemonade that Tinkle had brought out to her only moments earlier. "Somehow, 'attractiveness' wasn't really one of the categories that I considered for the 'world's best cousin' award. It didn't come up."

They all turned to Theo's chair, expecting him to have a funny remark, but he had vanished. He was walking in the direction of the house, kicking the grass up and clutching an empty cup in his hand. Theo vanishing to get a refill of his food or drink wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but he usually said something to the others to let them know he was leaving.

"What's his problem?" Avalon asked.

"Who knows?" Daphne and Blaise responded in unison.

As the remaining friends went back to discussing the problem at hand—Estella and Eustace Steele, who were scheduled to arrive any moment—they also found themselved wondering what the upcoming term at Hogwarts was going to hold. It would have to be something extremely impressive to top their first two years, which included a professor who sported the Dark Lord on the back of his head under his turban, and a creature that traveled through the school and pretrified students, including Avalon.

She couldn't remember anything from the attack, but it had left her extremely confused. She had spent two years actively hating Seamus, and he had done the same for her. And yet, he'd written her a heartfelt note and left little doodles for her to wake up to. They'd even hugged at the feast, which made Avalon's face burn to think about (only because of Neville's shy teasing, not because of the moment Seamus himself). Suddenly she was calling him Seamus? It was different than her apologizing to Weasley the previous summer. She didn't feel pressure to be rude to him in front of her friends, either. Third year was going to be weird.

"Avalon!" Isla's voice floated out from the Manor, and the three children immediately froze. This had to be the cousins. "Come say hello to Draco!"

The large sigh of relief could be heard for miles, as Avalon got up and went inside to do as she was told, Blaise and Daphne trailing behind her. In the foyer, Theo and Draco were chatting, and they could hear the retreating voices of Edgar and Lucius as the two men retreated to his study to have a conversation in hushed tones.

Blaise clapped Draco on the back. "Mate, what a surprise!"

The other boy nodded. "Father needed to talk to Mr. Steele and I decided to come along. I didn't realize…" his voice trailed off as he looked at Blaise, Daphne, and Theo. Although he didn't continue, they knew what he was saying. He didn't realize they had been hanging out without him. Then, as quickly as the falter had appeared, Draco's mask of arrogance was back in place.

"My parents are in Germany with Astoria," Daphne said after a moment, trying to make up for Draco's exclusion. "It's the international Gobstones Competition Finals this week, and I've been staying here while they're gone. Blaise and Theo just popped over for lunch. We didn't even invite them. I think Blaise fancies Avalon's cousin."

Draco laughed. Blaise opened his mouth to protest this, and Theo opened his mouth to stuff more cucumber sandwiches inside. He had no shame about coming for lunch, even though they had been invited to visit Avalon.

"We're glad to have you, Draco," said Avalon's mother, finally, placing a warm hand on the boy's shoulder. Her words were cut off as the fireplace flashed green, and out stepped two teens.

They were the exact same height, both with piercing eyes and perfectly styled hair. Neither spoke as they entered the room, the girl wearing a white blouse and plaid pinafore jumper under her robe, the boy sporting a crisp button down shirt and slacks under his. Avalon quickly took a step back and looked pained at the new arrivals.

Isla smiled broadly. "Eustace, Estella, you remember Avalon. These are her friends, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Draco Malfoy. Children, these are Avalon's cousins, Eustace and Estella Steele. You met briefly at Avalon's tenth birthday party. Except for you Draco, I don't believe you were there."

He scowled.

The boy, identified as Eustace, stepped forward and hugged Avalon's mother, kissing both her cheeks. His sister did the same, accompanied with a musical laugh as she held her aunt's hands in her own.. "Bonjour tante. C'est bon de te voir."

"Estella, you aren't fooling anyone. We all know you both can speak perfect English, and none of us speak French," Avalon said, not even bothering to hide her scowl.

"Actually, Stepdad Number Two was the nephew of the previous French Minister of Magic," Blaise said. He raised his eyebrows at Estella. "I'm fluent."

Daphne elbowed him in the ribs—hard—and Avalon shot him a death glare. Estella simply quirked an eyebrow in response. She either didn't realize this was Blaise's attempt at flirting, or couldn't bring herself to be bothered. Avalon hoped it was the latter as she tried not to retch.

"Help the twins get settled Avalon," said Isla, which she knew to mean 'take their bags upstairs and make sure you don't exclude them.'

Doing as she was told, Avalon led her friends up the winding staircase, Blaise carrying Estella's trunk for her. Daphne leaned toward him and whispered, "Can you actually speak French or did you make that up for girl-twin?"

"Oui, oui, biensûr," he responded with a grin.

Four days later, it was the morning of Avalon's birthday party, and she was running around the manor with Tinkle trying to make sure that everything was perfect. It would be the first real interraction with her father since her return home. Any sign of trouble and he would make an excuse to leave. As a result of this, Neville and Seamus hadn't been invited, but they had both promised to send her birthday letters and at King's Cross Station, Neville's Gran had invited her to visit for tea the following weekend to celebrate.

She hadn't received anything from them, but wasn't worried.

"Miss please! Please put on your party dress! The guests will be here any minute!" Tinkle cried, running down the hall of the East Wing behind Avalon. The latter was slipping around the corridor in her socks and an oversized robe.

"I can't! If I get dressed before I'm done overlooking set up, something could spill on it!"

"Tinkle can get out any spill in a moment."

"Please get dressed," Misty added, trailing behind Tinkle and practically wheezing. Not wanting to cause the house elves pain, Avalon allowed herself to be gently pulled back to her room, where a dark green summer dress was laid out across the bed.

With a snap of her fingers, a clipboard appeared in Misty's hands, and she huddled over the checklist with Tinkle. "The tent is in the backyard and set up. About an hour ago, the fairies were delivered for the fairy light display. We've finished the food. All of your favorites, and some of Master Steele's favorites as well to make sure he sticks around. The Weird Sisters are warming up in Lucy's room. Lucy is in a guest bedroom in the east wing, she got in this morning. The tables are set up with linens and centerpieces, and everything is ready for the games."

"What about the cake?"

"Iced and waiting in the kitchen."

"The twins from Hell?"

Tinkle sighed. "Eustace and Estella are reading letters in the library right now. We'll make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Thanks," Avalon breathed. She let Misty zip up her dress and help her into her silver flats. Tinkle gently picked up a colorful box with a box from the bedside table.

"A gift from your mother," she said. Inside was a beautiful necklace that sat in the hollow of her throat. After fastening it around Avalon's neck, the two house elves led her out to the garden for the celebration.

Daphne was greeting the guests, in a party dress of her own. Her parents were still in Germany, and she was playing the role of hostess. Blaise, his mother, and Stepdad Number Four were the first to arrive. At least, Avalon believed it was Number Four. Next to come was Tracey Greengrass, accompanied by her parents. They weren't close friends, but got along well enough as roommates for Avalon to invite her. Avalon's grandparents apparated to the front gates of the Manor, and caught the eye of the twins in the guest room window overlooking the garden. When Theo and his parents showed, his mother carrying Theo's four-month-old brother, the teens were beginning to congregate by the chocolate fountain and Avalon made to join them.

"Happy birthday Avalon," came an unfamiliar voice.

She turned around and came face to face with an all-too-familiar face. Charlie Weasley. Before Avalon could muster up something to pass for a polite greeting, Lucy waltzed out from under the the tent and joined them, hugging her sister before linking her arm through Charlie's and greeting him with a kiss. The younger girl couldn't hide her grimace.

"Is it okay that I brought him as my plus one?" Lucy asked, a large smile on her face as she glanced at Charlie. Then she reached out her hands and clasped Avalon's. "Please say yes because he's already here and he brought you a gift. And because you love me and promised you'd give Charlie a chance."

"That's a lot of reasons," Avalon said. She put on a smile and gingerly took Charlie's present from him, before shaking it next to her ear. It didn't sound completely awful.

"We're going to go mingle, while avoiding Gramps and Gran. Happy birthday, Ava!"

Left alone, Avalon glanced in the direction of Tinkle and Misty, who were organizing the drink table and cleverly avoiding eye contact. They had known ahead of time that there would be a "party crasher."

It was suddenly 1987 again. Avalon felt like she was seven years old watching her sister chose Charlie over her once more.

As the Malfoys arrived to the party fashionably late, as they liked to arrive to functions, Avalon ran inside to wait out the tears threatening to spill. She quickly locked herself in one of the Manor's many bathrooms, fingers anxiously gripping the sink as she stared at her blotchy-faced reflection.

1… 2… 3… 4… 5

Once she had calmed herself, Avalon exited the bathroom and walked down the hall towards the grand staircase. Passing the guest room housing the twins, she could hear their whispers. They're so odd, she thought to herself. The door was cracked.

"Look at this one," Eustace was saying as he stretcehd out across his bed and read from a piece of parchment. "'Dear Avalon, Gran wants to know what day you'll be coming around for tea. Neville.' What do you think?"

"I've got one from someone named Molly Weasley. 'Charlie mentioned that it was your birthday, so I made you one of my sweaters and also included some homemade fudge. It's too hot to wear now, but you can match with your sister when the weather changes,'" Estella said. She grimaced. "Look at this awful jumper! I think I'm going to retch. I'll keep the fudge, though."

Eustace sighed and swiped a piece from his sister. "There's nothing here he'd be interested in. The other ones were so boring that I just got rid of them."

Avalon finally pushed open the door all the way. "What are you doing? Are you going through my mail?"

"No."

"Yes."

She stormed over to them and snatched the letters from her cousins. She had known that they were up to no good from their initial arrival, but she hadn't expected Owl Post Mail Fraud.

Usually whenever they visited they mostly went into the woods behind Bellglade Manor and hexed any deer or rabbits they came across, listening to them scream. She had been around her father enough to recognize the curse they always used. It wasn't forbidden, but Merlin's beard, it should have been. Avalon didn't think any behaviors of theirs could have made her more upset than they, but suddenly she was boiling with rage.

"Get out," she snarled, even though it wasn't her bedroom or her house and she should have been downstairs with her party guests anyway. "Don't go down to my party, but when I come back up here later, I don't want to see either of you."

Estella stepped up to her cousin and brandished a wand. "Is that a threat?"

"Interpret it however you want."

Trying to compose herself, Avalon exited the room and stuffed her letters into a trunk at the foot of her own bed. Her mother—always paranoid around Edgar—had placed a charm on it. Not only was there an undetectable extension on the trunk, but only Avalon herself could reach inside. Anyone else just felt an empty trunk meet their fingers.

Why had they been going through her mail?

She knew she needed to get back outside before someone worried about her, and could deal with this situation later. Inviting them to her house had been a bad idea on her parents' part.

 **A/N: First things first- I don't own Harry Potter (duh). So the only things I've created are the Steeles, everyone else belongs to J.K. Rowling herself. Sorry for the brief (nearly a month long) hiatus. This chapter was originally completely different, with Lucy and Avalon going to France and visiting their grandparents/cousins, but I completely restarted it from the original idea. Anyway, there will be one more summer chapter and then they are off to Hogwarts again! Third year will be relatively short, because fourth year will have the majority of the action. The earlier years have just been building up to what's to come. Stay tuned!**


	22. Summer: The Permission Slip

The next couple of weeks of summer passed without incident. The twins left for France again shortly after the party, effectively using the last of the Floo powder. No one really minded, except for Blaise, who had gotten a slow dance out of Estella at the party by asking her in French. She promised to answer the letters he was planning on sending, but his friends didn't expect any responses.

Avalon was more focused on why her cousins had gone through her mail in the first place. They had been tight-lipped about it, and whenever she asked they began to whisper in rapid French to one another. The only phrases Avalon understood were, "Am I standing in a toilet?" and "Excuse me, miss, I have lost my cow," neither of which came up.

She was still thinking about this when a letter came from the school. Included with the list of her necessary books and materials for the third year term, there was a slip of parchment she had been eagerly awaiting after hearing Lucy's stories of her time at Hogwarts.

"Mum! Can you sign my Hogsmeade letter?" Avalon shouted.

After not hearing a response from Isla, Avalon pushed herself off the bed and set off to find her mother. She was most likely somewhere in the manor, and the girl began to push open doors to find her.

In the end, Isla was in the drawing room, reading a book and drinking tea. She looked up at her daughter's entrance. "Hello, love, do you need something?"

"Hogsmeade permission slip."

"Of course," said the woman. She reached out and took the parchment. Her eyes barely scanned it before she picked up a quill, dipped it into ink, and signed on the line with a large, overdramatic flourish. "There you are, my darling. You're all set. Have fun."

"Thanks, mum," said Avalon. She turned to leave, but stopped suddenly.

Edgar was standing in the doorway, arms folded as he stared down at his daughter. His face was the thunderstorm Avalon had grown accustomed to. She took a step back in the direction of her mother. Edgar moved forward to fill the space she had anxiously created. "My, Avalon, you seem to be in a rush. Going somewhere?"

"I'm going to Daphne's," Avalon said with a shaky voice. "She wanted me to come over so we could—"

"Don't lie to me, girl!"

"Father, I'm not lying."

Edgar balled his hands into fists, clenching and unclenching repeatedly. "You're not lying, you say? I know the second you leave this house you'll be flitting off to Augusta Longbottom and her imbecile of a grandson. You'll drink tea and laugh as though you're not lying to me through your spoiled little teeth right now. Won't you?" He paused, as Avalon took another step back. "Answer me, stupid girl!"

"How do you know that?" Avalon asked. Despite her question, the back of her mind, she already knew the answer.

She was suddenly back in the guest room with Eustace and Estella, listening to them go through her mail. _'There's nothing here he'd be interested in,'_ Eustace had said to his sister. Her father had commissioned her cousins to read the letters and report back to them. "Why did you get the twins to open my mail?"

"Because I knew it would tell me the truth, even when you didn't."

"Tell you the truth about what?"

Isla cowered in her chair, longing to help her baby but knowing Edgar would kill her for interfering in his discipline. His scowl deepened. "I know the truth, Avalon. I know that last summer, you went and stayed with the Weasley family when you told us you were with Daphne. And if you dared lie to me in my own house once, I knew you could be doing it more times."

"Yes, father, I stayed with the Weasleys. And despite everything you taught me, everything you drilled into my head, I didn't hate it. Yes, I said I was going to Daphne's then, and I tried to tell you I was going to Daphne's a few minutes ago because I had tea with Mrs. Longbottom planned. But it's because you're so unreasonable. Okay, blood purity is important to you, and it is to me, or it was. I don't know. But I do know, that when I was with the Weasleys, they ate dinner together, every night. Mrs. Weasley cooked it, herself. Mr. Weasley hugged his children. He kissed them. He asked them how their days went, and there was no right or wrong answer. He had no ulterior motive. He was genuinely interested. And I know you're not. Everything you say, everything you do, is cold and calculating and for your own good. But that's not what a family is. That's not what it should be," Avalon said. Tears were forming in her eyes. "When I was nine, I called you Dad instead of Father, and you told me it was too informal, too casual. I used to cry at night because some of my friends had two parents, and I only had one."

"You are an insolent brat!"

Avalon glared. "I'm _not_ done. When Lucy used to live here, she was always your favorite. She was a charming, perfect student with impeccable manners, and she was also a prefect, a Quidditch player at one point, and Head Girl. The wonderful pureblood daughter you could be proud of, and show off to your friends. They probably all wanted you to sign her off to their sons in a stupid marriage contract. But you lost her, didn't you? You lost her to Charlie Weasley, and Molly, and Arthur. And I did too. But it's different for me, isn't it father? I lost time with her, I don't get as much attention from my sister as I used to. It's sad. But you… you lost her respect. Her love. When she chose to be with him, you knew it meant your precious princess would never view you the same way again. All the years of bashing that family, their mudblood-loving lifestyle that you could never take back. She could say nothing changed, she could say it until she was blue in the face, but you know that will never be true. You've always known it. And I'm all you have left. Sure, you'd never loved me when Lucy was around, but she's gone now. You can't lose two perfect pureblood daughters, can you father? So you resort to manipulation. You act like you care. Always trying to maintain control. But you don't have to worry about losing me. I was never yours to lose."

Each word was separated, spat like they left a bitter taste in his mouth. "How dare you!"

Avalon still didn't back down. "You're so against anyone who isn't like you, that you drive away those who are. What are you so afraid of?"

Time seemed to stand still. Isla was frozen in fear, hands covering her mouth as she watched everything unfold. Avalon couldn't move either. She was in shock. Where had the words come from? She had never spoken them aloud before, not even to Tinkle, or Daphne, or Neville, her biggest confidantes. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but whether they were due to sadness or anger, she would never know.

Edgar was the first to move. He was furious. And he told Avalon as much. But he didn't use his words. Instead, he closed the gap between them and struck her across the face. Hard. Avalon stumbled backwards and fell, slicing her arm on the coffee table as she went down. Blood poured.

"Avalon!" Isla cried. She rushed forward to her daughter, but Edgar held up his hand to her as well. This wasn't a threat to his wife, but the universal sign for 'stop.'

"You have one hour to pack your things," he told his daughter. "Make sure you take all of your school robes and supplies as well. I don't care where you go, but as of right now, I don't wish to see you."

Isla looked at her husband. "You're kicking our daughter out of the house? Edgar, you're not thinking rationally, please reconsider, I just—"

"Silence, Isla. Come." He stormed out of the room without bothering to check if the woman was following him. She always followed, and this would not be the exception.

"I'm sorry, Avalon."

With that, she was gone.

It was only once her father was long gone and she was in the safety of her room that she allowed herself to cry. After fifteen minutes of her alloted hour had passed, Tinkle and Misty came in, hiding from Edgar's wrath. They began to throw her things into a trunk while consoling the girl. "Where will you go?" asked Tinkle in a quiet voice.

"I'll ask Daphne's parents if I can stay with them until school starts, and by the time I come home, father will have probably calmed down," Avalon said. She kissed the tops of their heads and added her cauldron and scales to the trunk, followed by her wand. "Thank you both. Would you take me to the Greengrasses,' please?"

"Of course," said Misty.

They shared a group hug, all three crying at this point.

Avalon knew that despite her outburst to her father, and despite his incredibly violent reaction, he was not kicking her out for good. She would be back, and sooner than she cared to admit. Edgar Steele was many things, but he would eventually allow her back in. And Avalon?

She could still remember the Sorting Hat's words to her during her ceremony two years ago, the day she became a Slytherin. To the Hat, she was just another mind to read in a slew of eleven-year-olds, each class most likely blurring together. It probably wouldn't even remember saying them to her. But Avalon couldn't bring herself to forget. The words had hit her close to home as the Hat whispered them inside her head like a dark secret, one she had never had the heart to share, and probably never would.

 _You'd do anything to prove yourself to your father yes?_

The Hat had shouted "SLYTHERIN" before Avalon could respond to the question, but she had thought about her answer many times since then.

She would do anything to prove herself to her father.

After all, it hadn't been her first slap.

And it wouldn't be her last.

 **A/N: I'm baaaaack! And with finals done, and me being graduated from high school (which I still can't believe), I'm going to be more frequent. This is one of the chapters I was sitting on for a while, one of the ideas that was floating around when I first started working on this story. As you can see, Avalon has a complicated relationship with her father. I'm looking forward to exploring that a little more. Anyway, the next chapter will see Avalon and friends returning back to Hogwarts for another year. Whooo! If you liked this chapter/the story so far, feel free to drop me a comment/favorite/follow/etc. If you hated this chapter/the story so far, feel free to drop me a comment/favorite/follow/etc. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Harry Potter or profit from this story at all. All recognizable content belongs to J.K. Rowling, the Queen.**


	23. Summer-Third Year: Friendship

Avalon's summer vacation had been interesting to say the least. When she showed up on the Greengrasses' doorstep with her trunk, school supplies, and owl, they had been concerned. No matter how many times they asked, she always said that her parents were going on a business trip to Germany and Lucy was in Romania helping Charlie for the summer, and she was very thankful that they were opening their home to her. She said that her parents would be very busy and that they shouldn't try to contact them. She said that she had tried to get over her dislike of broomsticks and fell off, which explained the injuries. Mrs. Greengrass' forehead would always have the same worried pucker that it did the first time she healed the bruises on Avalon's cheek and arm. Avalon could see the pucker from across the room as Mrs. Greengrass whispered to her husband.

That's how she knew they were talking about her.

Daphne, unlike her parents, was usually very vocal with her opinion. Daphne, unlike her parents, knew the truth behind the dark secrets that lived with the Steele family. However, Daphne also knew that the last thing Avalon needed was for her to tell her parents the truth. It wouldn't solve the problem. Instead, she would creep into the guest bedroom at night. Avalon always pretended to sleep, but her sniffling usually gave away the act.

"Avalon?"

A grunt in response.

Daphne would clear her throat. "I can, um, hear Astoria's snoring through the walls and it's impossible for me to sleep. Can I stay with you?"

As always, Avalon would silently scoot over to one side of the bed, and lift the edge of the blanket so Daphne could crawl under. Neither girl would talk, but having Daphne there and being able to feel her warmth as she silently cried herself to sleep would make Avalon feel better. And Daphne knew it. So she'd wrap her arms around her best friend as she fell asleep herself.

The excuses varied. Sometimes there was a draft that only came into Daphne's room, sometimes the tree outside her window was casting scary shadows on the window, and sometimes she would pretend to sleepwalk. It didn't matter though. The outcome was always the same.

The day that the school owls sent over school supply lists for the three girls staying in the Greengrass house, Astoria nearly knocked over her porridge in an attempt to get to the window. She was very excited to be starting Hogwarts in just a few weeks. "It's here!" she screamed. "Mum! Dad! My Hogwarts letter came!"

"That's great, pumpkin," said Mr. Greengrass, walking into the kitchen with that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet in hand. He kissed Astoria's temple before doing the same to Daphne and Avalon. "Now, you girls are thirteen now, do you think you're responsible enough to go to Diagon Alley without us, or should I take off work next week and take you?"

Daphne looked at Avalon with a wicked glint in her eye. "We're definitely repsonsible enough. We'll keep a good eye on Astoria, I promise."

"All right, then. I'm off to St. Mungo's. The sick patrons won't heal themselves, you know. If you need anything, one of the house elves can fix you lunch or reach me in case of emergency. I'll see you girls later." With a smile and a wink, Mr. Greengrass finished off Daphne's cup of tea and apparated away.

Avalon pushed her porridge around the bowl with the spoon, uncharacteristically quiet. By the time Mrs. Greengrass had come down, wolfed down a bite of toast, and departed for her office in the Department of International Magic Cooperation, Daphne was concerned.

She turned to her sister and friend. "Well, you heard Dad. We can finally go to Diagon Alley without parents, or older sisters who threaten to leave us behind if we take too long getting ice cream. Are you ready?"

Astoria clapped eagerly and squealed, throwing her bowl into the sink for the house elves to watch. "Yes! Yes! So many things I want to buy! I can't wait!"

"All right, last one dressed and down here is buying at Florean Fortescue's," Daphne said. Astoria was off like a shot, while Avalon headed towards the stairs at a sluggish pace. Daphne shook her head and murmured, "That wasn't the intended effect of the offer."

She thought Avalon would race off too, and Astoria would buy them both ice cream. Daphne would have to move at an even slower pace than her upset friend if she wanted to cheer Avalon up.

AGDGAS

The next few weeks seemed to fly by. Slowly, Avalon's mood picked up again, and by the time she reached King's Cross station with Astoria and Daphne in tow, she was almost laughing at some horrible joke Mr. Greengrass cracked at breakfast.

He and his wife hugged all three girls goodbye, and Mr. Greengrass stooped down so he was eye level with Avalon. "Now, do you know if… your parents will be back from Germany for Christmas?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"If they're not, you're welcome to spend it with us. The door to our home is always open for you, all right, Avalon?"

"All right."

Barely in control of her actions, Avalon hugged Mr. Greengrass again. His wife joined in and gave the girl another hug. She kissed Avalon's forehead and brushed her thumb across the stretch of skin where her bruise had been the day the girl showed up with her belongings, visibly upset. "Don't forget to write. We want to hear about your year just as much as we do Daphne's and Astoria's. We love you."

Avalon fought back more tears as she followed her friend onto the train. Astoria nervously went off in search of the people who would be her friends for the next seven years.

When the two remaining girls found their usual compartment, Draco was already inside. Crabbe and Goyle flanked sat squished against the window. They were both holding up a single comic book and focusing intently as they read it, lips moving along with the words. It was an impressive feat because the comic book was upside down.

"Hello," said Draco, without looking at them. He was busy with a crossword puzzle.

"Morning, Malfoy," Daphne said, sliding in across from the three boys and making room for Avalon. "I hope you've had a good summer."

He shrugged in response. "Oh it was the usual. Exotic trips to faraway countries, fancy dinners, expensive things, rubbing noses with some of the most influential people in our world at various parties. A bore, really."

"Rubbing noses?"

Draco sighed, obviously annoyed by Avalon's confusion. "It's an expression. It means to socialize with."

"I think you mean rubbing elbows?" Daphne snickered, not bothering to hide it. "Rubbing noses usually means taunting someone. Or Eskimo kissing."

"Whatever. I can't expect everyone to understand the lingo of the powerful elite. But speaking of taunting someone, I think Crabbe and Goyle and I are going to see if Potter and his ridiculous band of misfits have settled in so we can ruin their train ride." Draco beckoned to his cronies and they left the compartment, nearly colliding with Blaise.

The latter grinned. "Leaving so soon, Malfoy? I hope it was something I said."

"I'll be back."

"All good things must come to an end."

Blaise took one of the now empty seats across from the girls. In the two months since they had last seen the boy, he had gone on a trip with his mother and Stepdad Number Four. He had grown at least three inches and seemed to be ganglier than he had been before—which they hadn't thought possible. Daphne's giggles continued.

"What's so funny?" Blaise asked.

His words caused Avalon to join in, the pair clutching their stomachs and doubled over in uncontrollable laughter. Blaise clapped his hands over his mouth and scowled in their direction. An unnecessary side effect of his growth spurt—his unfortunate voice cracks that popped up whenever they saw fit.

Avalon was gasping for air by the time she could speak again. "Your… voice!"

Theo entered the compartment but seemed confused about the laughter. Daphne cackled harder when she saw him. "Don't worry, Theo, your time will come."

After a few moments of pleasantries, Draco was back, this time without Crabbe and Goyle. "We found Potter and his friends, but there was some teacher in the compartment with them so we left. He's such a kissup, sitting with the new teacher on the train."

"Why is there a teacher riding up with us?" Theo asked.

Blaise shrugged. "He'll be better than Lockhart for sure." He spoke slowly and through gritted teeth, determined not to give the girls the pleasure of another voice crack.

As the rain outside the windows pounded, the train began slowing. All five teens looked at their watches. There was no way that they could be at the station this early, so why were they stopping?

Daphne got up and looked out into the hall. Other students were doing the same, most likely trying to figure out what was happening. The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. Chaos was breaking out now that they had all suddenly lost their sight.

"Is anyone else really cold?"

"What's going on?"

"Why is it so dark?"

"Ouch! Theo, you dolt, that was my toe!"

"Sorry, Daph."

After a few moments of panic, the lights started to come up and the train began to move. They discovered Theo underneath the table with his knees curled to his chest. His head was buried in his arms and he didn't look up until Draco kicked his back.

Daphne looked concerned. "Are you okay, Theo?"

"You girls might not know this about Theodore," said Blaise. "But he has a small fear of the dark. He hides it well from most people, but after sharing a room with him for two years, we've become accustomed to his antics."

"You're afraid of the dark?" Avalon cried, the previous terror of the mysterious train stop behind them. The laughs were back.

Theo glared at her as he climbed back up to his seat. "No, I'm not 'afraid' of the dark. That would be childish and unreasonable. I just don't like the fact that the dark makes me open to a murderer trying to kill me. Did you know that Sirius Black escaped Azkaban? If I were to run into him in the dark, it would be so much easier for him to sneak up on me."

"Whatever you say," Draco chortled.

"Besides," Theo continued. "I can't believe you would tell them about that, Blaise. We're best friends! We all agreed that what happens in the boys' dormitory _stays_ in the boys' dormitory. Or would you like me to tell them about the time you—"

"NO!" Blaise shouted. His voice cracked but he didn't seem to notice.

Theo gave a wicked grin. "And Draco, I'm sure the girls would love to hear _all_ about your little—"

"That won't be necessary."

Avalon and Daphne exchanged silent looks. They were in agreement. At some point during the year, they would uncover whatever it was that Draco and Blaise didn't want them to know. It had to be worse than Theo being afraid of the dark because he wouldn't reveal their secrets to the girls as payback for them spilling his.

"Come on Avalon, let's go change," said Daphne, dragging her friend out of the compartment to find one with just girls to put on their robes.

As they searched—even willing to settle for a compartment with Pansy, Millicent, and Tracey inside—Avalon spotted a familiar face.

She told Daphne she would be right back and went inside. Neville, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas were sitting and playing a hand of Exploding Snap, along with a couple of Hufflepuff boys that Avalon recognized but couldn't be bothered to remember the names of at the moment and didn't even try.

"All right?" Avalon asked, closing the door behind her and hugging Neville.

"All right," he answered. "What's going on? You never showed up for tea that day, and Gran and I were worried that something happened to you. Are you okay? I tried to send you an owl but I guess he couldn't find you at your house."

Avalon's hand flew to her cheek without thinking, but she forced a smile. "I'm sorry. Something came up. I meant to write, but things were really crazy these past few weeks."

Finnigan looked over his hand of cards and coughed loudly. "You have an answer to almost everything, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Avalon asked. She squinted at Finnigan with confusion. It wasn't unusual for the two of them to be angry at each other, but she hadn't talked to him since the end of the previous year when they finished on friendly terms. They had both semi-apologized for the way they treated each other. And the hug. What could he possibly be upset about before they even started school?

"Its just that you have an answer to _almost_ everything. Not quite everything. There are just some things you don't have an answer for. Strange," said Finnigan.

Avalon rolled her eyes. "Can you not be passive-aggressive for three seconds and tell me what horrible thing I've done now that's gotten you all in a snit? You're such a baby, Finnigan. Use your big boy words."

"I'd tell you, but you'd probably just ignore me anyway so I'll save my breath." With an expression that screamed boredom, Finnigan put down his cards and pushed past her on his way out of the compartment.

Avalon looked at his friends. "Okay, what was that about?"

"No idea."

"I thought you knew."

"Whatever," said Avalon after a few moments of studying Neville's face. He was telling the truth, there was no way he knew what had Finnigan so peeved this early in the year. "I'll see you up at the castle. Daphne's waiting for me in the hall."

But Daphne had obviously gotten tired of waiting for Avalon, and by the time Avalon slipped into her school uniform (she found a compartment with some familiar-looking second year Slytherin girls who let her change with them), it was time to drag her luggage off the train and struggle to find her friends for the carriage ride up to the school.

This year, she beat Draco out for the fourth spot, and he dejectedly left to ride with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy.

His carriage was right behind theirs, so they could hear him calling out to Potter: "You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You fainted?"

Draco's friends—minus Pansy, swooning over the boy—all rolled their eyes at his Potter-hating antics starting up again. He strutted past Potter's friends and blocked the other boy's way. He looked practically giddy.

Weasley glared at the Slytherin. "Shove off, Malfoy."

"Did you faint as well, Weasley? Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"

Barring Draco and Potter's gang, they didn't recognize young-looking man wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes darned in several places that came out of the next carriage. He stepped forward through the students and approached the troublesome encounter. His hair was light brown flecked with gray, and despite the authoritative look on his face, he seemed extremely tired already. If this was the new professor Draco told them about earlier, Avalon knew his tired look would only get worse as the year went on. "Is there a problem?"

"Oh no, professor," Draco muttered. With a last glare at Potter, he stormed towards the school. The other Slytherins followed, laughing about Draco's foiled attempt to agitate his 'foe' as he muttered obscenities under his breath.

By the time they joined him at the Slytherin table, he had calmed down a bit and was listening to a very lengthy story from Goyle about the bowtruckle he had encountered over the summer. Avalon had a horrible flashback to Professor Sprout's bowtruckle project from the previous year and tuned it out. She could never look at the vicious beasts the same way again.

Once the students were settled in the Great Hall, and the new first years were sorted into their houses, Dumbledore began to speak to the students and staff.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..." the old man's voice trailed off slightly, but the twinkle in his eyes was everpresent, as if he was about to tell them all a joke. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

A murmur went through the crowd. Blaise leaned towards Avalon. "They must have stopped the train earlier," he whispered. She nodded, too focused on the Headmaster's words to laugh at his voice.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."

Theo looked annoyed. "Will we ever have a year without danger or strange happenings? I just want to learn and eat at feasts without any complications. Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes," answered Daphne and Blaise in unison.

Dumbledore was not finished his announcements. "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Some students claps, but most of it was simply polite. Hardly any students had had the chance to meet the new teacher yet.

Draco's usual sneer deepened and he kept his hands firmly planted in his lap during the applause. "Look at him. He's so shabby compared to the others. He'll probably be worse than our other two professor."

"Lockhart knew absolutely nothing. Lupin would have to work really hard to be worse than that," Theo said.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Draco practically stood up in protest at this point. "Hagrid? Dumbledore's officially lost it! There's no way that oaf is qualified to teach classes. To _children,_ no less! I wouldn't trust him to train my house elf to do menial labor."

His friends grumbled in agreement. For once, they stood behind Draco in his rantings. Well, Theo stood behind Draco until Dumbledore made his next announcement: "Well, I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

"Care of Magical Creatures is going to be… interesting," said Daphne, digging into the food.

By the time the third year Slytherin girls reached their dormitory that night, they were all too tired for any catty remarks or witty banter. Even Avalon and Pansy, who the other girls knew would start back up in the morning, refreshed and ready to go.

But as for right now, all five girls drifted off to sleep.

It was Avalon's first night in a long time without Daphne next to her, and the shadows on the wall looked an awful lot like an angry Edgar Steele. She looked over at her best friend, who was awake as well. Daphne smiled. Avalon smiled back.

She would be all right.

 **A/N: An update! Crazy. This chapter was really fun to write. The previous year focused a lot on Avalon's conflicting emotions about her beliefs. This year will see a lot more conflict with her feelings and her relationships with her friends/family. I have a lot planned for this year (and they probably won't all be as long as this chapter.**

 **i don't own Harry Potter (duh).**

 **Leave a comment, drop a follow/favorite. Thanks so much for reading!**


	24. Third Year: First Day of Classes

The next morning, Avalon and her friends experienced their first Hogwarts class apart from each other. After breakfast, just before nine o' clock, Theo and Daphne headed off to Divination, and Avalon followed Blaise and Draco to Arithmancy.

Arithmancy took place on the seventh floor. Professor Vector was waiting for the students to trail in and organizing papers.

By the time the students began filing into the room, Professor Vector flicked her wand and placecards flew from her desk to the tables filling the room. "Find your name on your card, please, and have a seat. Take out _Numerology and Grammatica._ Class will begin in a few moments."

With an eye roll in Blaise's direction, Avalon read the name cards until she found hers, next to Terry Boot. They hadn't spoken since the boat ride over to the castle at the beginning of first year, but somehow she didn't think that sharing a desk in Arithmancy would make them suddenly best friends. However, when Professor Vector began teaching, Terry nodded his head cordially at her in greeting, and she did the same. The seating could have been worse, of course. She could have been next to—

"Hermione Granger?"

The Gryffindor girl stopped in her tracks. She was clutching her textbooks and trying to stuff _Unfogging the Future_ into her bag while sneaking into the classroom late. The book slipped from her hands and clattered to the ground. "How did you know?"

Professor Vector sighed. "I took a wild guess. Seeing as your classmates saw it fit to come to class on time, you were the only student marked absent. I certainly didn't use tea leaves or palm readings to figure it out." She looked at _Unfogging the Future_ on the floor with a look of pure disdain. "Do you have an excuse for showing up late to my class?"

The girl opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it after a moment of hesitation. She stared at the ground. "No, Professor."

"Well, let this serve as a warning to you and your classmates. The next lateness will be met with a detention with me after classes. I need someone to help polish my abacus collection." The professor chuckled, but she was the only one who saw humor in the situation. "Now, find your seat, Ms. Granger."

With a slightly red face, Granger slipped into the seat in front of Terry, next to Susan Bones. Draco didn't bother to hide his laughter from across the room.

"Something funny, Mr. Malfoy?"

"No, Professor. I was clearing my throat."

"Moving on," Professor Vector flicked her wand again, and the chalk began to copy down notes from her lecture onto the board. "Welcome to Arithmancy. For those of you who don't know, arithmancy is a method of divination by numbers first used by the Ancient Greeks to figure out the outcome of their battles. It is a very precise and measureable method of predicting the future. In this year, we will focus on one of the most basic forms of arithmancy. We will learn what different numbers mean and study character numbers, heart numbers, and social numbers. More importantly, we will derive them. Some of you might consider this to be fun, but this class will be a lot of work. Now, open your books to page four and silently read the first chapter to yourself before a quick assessment on it at the end of class."

A few students groaned, but she didn't react to their dissent.

Despite Avalon's attempts to focus on the words in front of her, her mind was elsewhere. The sentences all swam together.

 ** _The word arithmancy (also known as numerology) comes from two Greek words, which put together mean "Divinations by Numbers," which is exactly what Arithmancy is. The two primary Arithmancy systems are the Agrippan Method & the Chaldeon Method. The primary difference between the two is that the Agrippan Method uses nine numbers in its calculations and the Chaldeon uses only eight. _**

The class itself wasn't boring to Avalon. It seemed interesting, especially when she had classes like History of Magic to compare it to. However, she had woken up thirteen times in the middle of the night, with the same nightmare again and again. She was rooted to the spot while her father yelled at her, and just when he prepared to strike her, he turned into the horrifying form of a basilisk. It was chilling. Avalon decided to just wait for dawn instead of sleeping again, and spent the last two hours staring at the ceiling, alone with her thoughts. It had been fine at the time, but now she was trying to stay awake in class. Professor Vector seemed strict and probably wouldn't take kindly to Avalon snoring loudly into her textbook.

 _Just stay awake._

 _Just stay… awake._

 _Just… stay… awake._

 _Just… stay…_

"Ms. Steele!"

"I'm awake!" Avalon cried. She quickly sat up and tried to wipe the small puddle of drool away from the center of _Numerology and Grammatica_ without any of her classmates seeing. Terry quickly averted his eyes, and she silently thanked him for that.

She could tell that not only had she slept through the assigned reading, but she had also missed the majority of the class discussion about the text. Her face probably sported the imprint of the boring words from being stuck to the book for so long. What a great first impression to leave with her new teacher.

Professor Vector wrote Avalon's name on the board. "I'm sure you were awake. The snoring is what alerted me to just how _awake_ you really were." She wrote another word above it before setting the chalk down.

"Detention?"

"That's what it says," said Professor Vector. "It's nice to see that even if you can't read your textbook as instructed, you do have the ability to read. That will make my job so much easier over the course of this year, wouldn't you agree?" Without waiting for Avalon's sullen nod, the woman continued, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yes, professor," came the response.

"Five points from Slytherin as well."

Avalon avoided the dirty looks that Blaise, Draco, and Pansy were shooting her from various points around the classroom. If looks could kill, she might have ended up spending another seven months in the Hospital Wing this school year.

After they left Arithmancy it was time for the first History of Magic lesson of the year. Draco commented how much his brain was going to hurt having those two classes back to back, until Blaise reminded him that he at least had a break for lunch and Care of Magical Creatures. That only served to upset the blond boy more. He completely ignored his plate of food in favor of his favorite activity—ranting.

"It's going to be horrible," Draco whined. "What does that oaf know about teaching a class? Our first year, he kept an illegal dragon in his hut! Last year he was removed from his post as Keeper of the Keys because of the attacks."

"And he was _cleared,_ " Daphne remarked.

Draco shrugged. "I'll probably end up dropping the class next year. It's going to be horrible."

Daphne couldn't hide her smile at Draco's annoyance. "We were smart to not take it. You made fun of us for it, too. I'm not the biggest fan of large creatures, and I definitely wouldn't want to care for them. Of course Blaise hates being outside longer than he has to. Quidditch is the exception."

"I thought it would be an easy class! No dates to memorize, charms to practice, or difficult numerology to worry about. Apparently the only hard part about it will be getting out in one piece," Draco said. Content with his complaints, he picked up his chicken sandwich and started to eat it.

Theo stood up. "No time for food, mate. You spent all your eating time talking." To prove his point, he shoveled the last bite into his mouth.

"Disgusting," said the girls in unison.

Avalon, Blaise, and Daphne watched the two leave. Since Care of Magical Creatures was outside, they needed to get down to Hagrid's hut, and the other three simply needed to dash to Study of Ancient Runes in a fraction of that time. They finished their lunches without any problem.

Unfortunately for all of the Slytherins in their year, Draco "wounded" himself in Care of Magical Creatures that day. Avalon had to get the story from Neville later on because Draco was too hysterical to explain what happened, and no one could understand what Theo was saynig through his laughter. According to Neville, Draco had disregarded Hagrid's instructions about encountering hippogriffs, and insulted a proud one called 'Buckbeak.' The end result was Malfoy getting slashed by the beast, and having to go to the Hospital Wing. Although Pansy—the only coherent Slytherin who could give her version of the events—swore it was Hagrid's fault for letting a dangerous animal near thirteen-year-olds, Potter had approached the hippogriff and even ridden it, and the other students also approached them without problem. Of course Avalon would stand by Draco in his time of need, but she began wondered if maybe he was putting on an act because of his dislike for Hagrid.

 **A/N: Wow, update? I've never met her. Just kidding (mostly). Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter, this is not for profit, also** **review/follow/favorite, etc. Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.**


	25. Third Year: The Boggart

By Monday, Draco still hadn't returned to classes. Blaise and Pansy alternated taking notes for him and bringing them to the Hospital Wing. The latter was acting like a widow at her husband's funeral, and only 'allowed' Blaise to help her with Draco's notes because she wasn't in Arithmancy and couldn't get the work to him.

However, learning wasn't the only thing he was missing out on.

"What do you mean Flint is having Quidditch tryouts tommorrow? I can't fly like this!"

Blaise shrugged. "He told us to tell you. He says that he let you on the team without trying you out first because your father bought new brooms for the team, and he was willing to take a risk without seeing anyone else. But this year, if you want to stay on the team he wants you to be the best seeker there."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Draco asked.

"Flint also said that he hopes you 'get well soon,' and that he will just remember how you fly and compare it to whoever shows up to the tryouts. He claims he has a perfect memory," Avalon added. "It doesn't seem like a reliable plan, but this is Flint we're talking about so it's about what you would expect."

Draco leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Could you talk to Flint and get him to push the tryouts back to Thursday?"

"Will you be completely healed by then?"

Blaise's question was met with a wink from Draco, which gave them everything he needed to know. He was definitely putting on an act, at least a little bit.

He still hadn't made his 'grand return' by Tuesday, when the other Slytherins had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin. Unlike Professor Vector, he was not in the classroom when the students arrived. When the man did show up, he told them to put away their books and parchment and follow him, please. They would be having a practical lesson.

"I like the out-of-the-box thinking," Blaise muttered to Daphne as they turned down the Hogwarts corridors.

"Let's see how this plays out," she whispered back. "Lockhart's idea of a 'practical lesson' involved setting various creatures loose in the classroom. And it happened more than once. This isn't necessarily a good thing.

"True."

When Professor Lupin stopped walking, they had reached the staffroom door. Inside was an old wardrobe, probably full of teachers' spare robes. It started wobbling and banging against the wall without him touching it.

Theo jumped back, using Blaise as a shield.

"Don't worry Theodore. There's a Boggart inside, that's all." Professor Lupin smiled. "I'm sure Blaise would appreciate having his arm back."

The other Slytherins laughed. Theo's face turned redder than Weasley's hair and he released Blaise's arm. He looked more embarrassed than Professor Lupin had probably intended, as he hated being laughed at. The professor continued talking. "I found this bugger earlier this afternoon. They like dark, enclosed spaces. Does anyone know what a Boggart is?"

"It's a shape-shifter!" Tracey Davis answered from across the room. Everyone seemed surprised by this.

"Exactly," Professor Lupin continued. "It can take the shape of whatever will frighten us the most. So, this Boggart is waiting in the darkness in its natural form. And no one knows what he looks like in that state, but he will become what we each fear. The best way to confuse him is by having multiple people. He won't know what to do with himself."

"How do you defeat a Boggart?"

"The charm is simple. The greatest weapon against a Boggart is laughter. You need to force him to assume a shape you find amusing. Repeat after me: 'riddikulus!'"

The students all said 'riddikulus' a few times on their own, but prepareed to face the creature.

Professor Lupin scanned the nervous-looking third year students. "Tracey! I'm sure you can be the first person to help defeat the Boggart. Tell me, what is it that frightens you most in the world?"

Without a moment of hesitation, she answered, "Werewolves."

"Right." Professor Lupin's brow furrowed, but he continued quickly and the furrow was gone so quickly they were sure they imagined it. "Now, I want you to think of something that would make a… terrifying werewolf a little less scary and a little more humorous. Do you think you can do that? Really picture it in your minds eye. When the boggart comes out of the wardrobe, it will assume the form of a werewolf. Raise your wand, like so, and shout, 'riddikulus,' and concetrate on whatever it is that will make the werewolf humorous to you."

"Yes, Professor!"

"All right, everyone back up and give Tracey a clear shot."

The other students needed no convincing, and moved away from the wardrobe to the safety of the walls. Tracey put on her bravest face and nodded at Professor Lupin solemnly.

"One… two… three… now!"

Professor Lupin shot sparks at the wardrobe and it burst open. A menacing werewolf stumbled out and into the staffroom, growing menacingly and slobbering onto the floor. Pansy pinched her nose in disgust. Tracey's knuckles were white from gripping her wand tightly. She spell was lost on her tongue and the creature was getting closer to the girl frozen in fear.

"Professor, do something!" Pansy cried, covering her eyes.

He started to step towards Tracey, but she closed her eyes and stammered, "Riddikulus!"

 _Crack!_ The werewolf stopped mid step and shook out his fur. It started falling out in heavy clumps onto the ground, until he stood before them clean-shaven and bright pink, cowering like a chilly housepet.

"Vincent! Go ahead."

Crabbe took Tracey's place. _Crack!_ The naked werewolf turned into hundreds of mice, charging at him. The large boy covered his face with his hands, and it wasn't until the first mouse reached him that he could muster the strength to perform the spell. "Riddikulus!" _Crack!_ The mice were doing tiny acrobatic tricks like circus performers.

Goyle was next, and he was _also_ afraid of mice. The same scene played out, which made their classmates laugh. They knew Crabbe and Goyle were practically the same person, but having the same fear made it much funnier.

Daphne was apparenlty afraid of vampires. Pansy feared Buckbeak (causing eyerolls from from Blaise). Theo stepped up to the wardrobe, and the unicorn-that-was-once-Buckbeak turned into a small series of snakes. "Riddikulus!" They turned into green noodles and stop writhering about.

Blaise and Millicent were the next to to go.

"Avalon! Forward!" She took her place in front of the wardrobe, bracing herself for whatever it was that would face her when the Boggart registered her presence.

Daphne gasped at the sight. "Is that—?"

Avalon's biggest fear was her father. Most of the Slytherins knew each others parents because they ran in the same pureblood circles, and so they all understood the significance of the figure before them. Boggart-Edgar took three lumbering steps towards his 'daughter,' and raised his hand quickly. She couldn't move. Just when Avalon was sure she was going to relive that night, the Boggart switched forms. He had sensed something deeper, something that terrified her more than her father.

Vivid dark green skin. Striking yellow eyes. A large hissing sound. Some sort of large snake.

The creature slithered forward, poised to attack. Avalon could feel the fear coursing through her veins, but why would she be afraif of a monster if she didn't even know what it was. It had reached her, and was rearing up it's head to attack.

"Is that a basilisk?" he asked.

Although she was still frozen, she felt slightly better knowing what the creature was. It made sense that she would be afraid of it. She still had nightmares, the feeling of _not_ feeling, of falling after her encounter with the creature. The real version, not the Boggart. Stepping forward before anything got out of hand, Professor Lupin pointed his wand at the creauture.

"Riddikulus!"

Avalon somehow got her legs to move as she watched the—whatever it was—shrink to the size of a small python. It began to inflate, as if someone were blowing it up with air. When it was too round to function any longer, it exploded into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke. _Crack!_ It was gone as quickly as it had come.

Professor Lupin awarded them all points for facing the Boggart and quickly explained to the class what their homework would be ("read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me") but no one was fully listening because they had turned their attention to Avalon.

She was crouched on the ground, clutching her head and breathing too quickly. The other students had never seen her look so pale. Her heart was pounding, her hands were clammy, and she felt like she was going to pass out or throw up or both. Despite her extreme urge to cry, her eyes were dry and no tears would come.

"Professor, is she all right?" Daphne asked.

Professor Lupin dug through his bag and pull out of half of a bar of chocolate, holding it out to her. "She will be. She's just panicking. A particularly frightening Boggart encounter can do that sometimes, we're facing what we fear most in the world. Eat this, Avalon. You'll feel better."

After a few moments of him offering her the chocolate, she calmed down enough to take the candy from him and bite into it slowly. She didn't respond to their talking for another ten minutes, when she finally stopped shaking.

"Are you feeling all right?" Professor Lupin asked.

"You could say that."

In the end, Daphne was sent to take to Avalon to the Hospital Wing while the rest of the class was dismissed for a few moments of break before their next lesson of the day. After several thourough checkups, Madam Pomfrey kept Avalon in the Hospital Wing over halfway into lunch, another bar of chocolate and two Calming Draughts later. Even then it took several protests before she was cleared to resume her schedule.

Draco seemed annoyed at the fact that Avalon was taking away the attention from him, but when he started moaning about it Madam Pomfrey threatened to kick him out, injury or not. He shut up quickly.

When Avalon rejoined her friends in the Great Hall, she tried to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Can we talk about the fact that Theo is afraid of _snakes?_ " she mustered up a laugh. "We're Slytherins! That's our mascot. What if Potter was afraid of lions? That would be ridiculous, right?"

"You were afraid of snakes too," Theo said.

"That was different. A basilisk can kill you easily," Daphne argued, glaring at him. "And let's not forget Theo's other, not-so-secret fear."

"The dark!" Blaise and Avalon answered. They all cackled.

And just like that, everything shifted back to normal. As quickly as the Boggart could change forms, the conversation changed. Fear wasn't always one consistent thing. It took different forms for different people, and different forms for the same person sometimes, if you were lucky. But sometimes, if you were luckier, you had friends to help you through the fear.

As far as friends went, she was pretty lucky.


	26. Third Year: Hogsmeade

For the most part, no one brought up Avalon's boggart again—at least not while she was within earshot. She once came into the commom room and spotted Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode sitting on a couch laughing, only for them to stop abruptly and give her the side eye until she disappeared into their dorm. Draco tried to make her feel better.

"I understand. My father is pretty intimidating," he muttered as Avalon they walked to the Quidditch Pitch. He had reached out to slow the pace of her footsteps until they were separated from Theo walking slightly ahead of them, and his voice dropped down to a whisper. Avalon knew he was making sure that no one else would hear his confession. It took her by surprise. Draco Malfoy, scared? He had a 'reputation' to uphold. But as he spoke, Avalon was mentally picturing her father in the heat of their argument, and she wondered if Draco truly understood her pain.

She cleared her throat. "Has Lucius ever… you know…"

Draco turned to her, searching her face for the end of her sentence. "No, has my father ever what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Never mind. Come on, we'd better hurry up before you're late to practice."

Avalon was off before he could wonder what she meant by that, and Draco had no choice but to follow or risk upsetting Flint. He was known for making team members run for the slightest infractions. They caught up to Theo, who hadn't even noticed their slowed pace.

Theo looked over at Draco. "How long before you're done making us come with you to practice? I feel like it doesn't make you look as cool as you think it does. Besides, the two-person schedule we came up with is really starting to cut into my 'putting-off-homework' time, you know?"

"It'll be fun."

By the time they reached the Quidditch Pitch, the team was coming out with brooms in hand. "You're late, Malfoy! Grab a broom or start running!" Flint shouted. Draco sped up and joined the others. Theo and Avalon took their normal spots in the stands to 'cheer' on their friend.

After 14 agonizing minutes of watching one of the Slytherin chasers fail to catch the quaffle repeatedly, Flint sent the offender to the stands to watch the practice while one of the younger players came in as a substitute. Instead of just observing, however, the boy came to sit near Avalon and Theo.

"The name's Montague. Graham Montague. You lot are friends of Malfoy's, yeah?"

Avalon nodded, and Theo seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of each possible answer. "What do you mean when you say 'friends?' Do we hang around the same crowd? Yes. Would I want to be stuck on a desert island with the bloke? Absolutely not. Have we stayed up in the dorm at night talking about our fears? It's possible. But do I—"

"Yes," Avalon interrupted. "We're friends of Malfoy's. This is Theodore, and I'm Avalon."

Graham smiled at them. "Oh, I know who you are. You're the girl with the boggart in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Some girl in your year has been telling everyone about what happened." Her face fell, and he continued, "I don't usually concern myself with the gossip of the younger years, but… I'm making an exception."

"Oh."

Theodore squinted at the Quidditch Pitch, where the substitute Chaser was flying around in Graham's place. "So what's your deal, Montague? I mean, no offense, but you were bloody awful out there, and the alternate is doing a great job."

"That's rude, Theo," said Avalon.

"No, it's all right." The fourth year boy continued, with a laugh. "But I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm an excellent Chaser. I was actually just was looking for an excuse to come over and talk to you."

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Theo asked. Exasperated, Graham gave him a look, and Theo's eyebrows shot up after a moment. "Wait, you meant Avalon, didn't you? I see that now. Actually, I think I'm going to get a closer look at the practice." Theo quickly stood up and moved further down the stands.

Avalon glanced at Graham out of the corner of her eye. Although he was only a fourth year, he hung around fifth and sixth year Slytherins. She had seen him around before, in the common room or the Great Hall, laughing with his Quidditch buddies. Tall, dark hair, striking eyes. Despite this, she had never given him much thought before right now. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

"Is that not okay?"

"It's fine."

She was extremely aware of his knee pressing against hers.

Graham cleared his throat before speaking again. "Do you remember anything? From last year when you were in the Hospital Wing?"

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me? To ask me what I remembered about petrification?" Avalon asked. They watched as Lucian Bole, one of the beaters, smacked a bludger with his bat. It nearly hit flint as he flew towards the keeper with the quaffle tucked under his arm. "You've never talked to me before."

"I've wanted to for a while, actually."

Avalon didn't meet his eyes, but she was smiling.

His knee hadn't moved.

From down on the pitch, Marcus Flint noticed his teammate for the first time since sending him to sit on the sidelines. "Oi! Montague! I didn't take you out of practice for you to sit up in the stands and flirt with Malfoy's friends. Get your arse down here and start running."

"Sure thing, Flint."

Was that what they were doing? Flirting?

Graham stood up and bent over, pretending to lace up his Quidditch boots. Flint wouldn't be able to tell that he was stalling. "You know, Malfoy takes for ever to get dressed after practice. If you don't feel like waiting around for him, I could walk you back up to the castle."

"You're too kind, but I could never leave Theo."

"There are dangerous things out here. Can your friend protect you from a centaur, or a vampire?" Graham asked. He started stretching and winked at her. "You should know more than anyone not to go around by yourself."

Avalon laughed. "We get it, I was petrified last year. Is that the last joke I'm going to hear about it?"

"That depends on if I see you again."

"Oi! MONTAGUE!"

At Flint's next shout, Graham finally turned and jogged down the stands to the pitch, preparing to run laps around it. The minute he was gone, Theo came back and rejoined her. He gave her a look similar to one Daphne would have given her in the situation. "Are we going to talk about what just happened?"

"No, we are not."

"Okay."

ASGMTNDM

For once, Avalon was looking forward to having what she could only assume was a normal year at Hogwarts. There were no teachers with the Dark Lord on the back of their heads and no deadly snakes roaming the school putting students' lives in danger. There was the issue of Sirius Black being on the loose, but Avalon knew there was no way the man could get into Hogwarts, and he probably wouldn't be so keen to do so with Dumbledore around.

Things were going so well. She went to class, hung out with her friends, fought less with Pansy, talked to Graham, and blushed more than she'd care to admit. Avalon claimed she was only watching Quidditch practice for Draco, but he once fell off his broom and injured his hippogriff arm. Flint excused him for the rest of the day and sent him to Madam Pomfrey, and at the end of the two and a half hour practice, Avalon asked Graham where he had gone. The latter often came and sat with her in the common room when she was studying. His excuse was, as a fourth year student, he knew the material already and was a valuable academic asset to her. However, they usually ended up getting distracted from the textbooks, and talking about any and everything else.

On Halloween, the day of the first Hogsmeade trip, Avalon and her friends waited in Filch's long line to get permission slips for the village checked.

Daphne was bouncing up and down on her toes. "I have a list of things we should do! There's something for everyone on here: Zonko's for Theo and Honeydukes for Draco, Dervish and Banges for Blaise, Scrivenshaft's for me, Gladrags for Avalon, and then we go to The Shrieking Shack and the Three Broomsticks. That way, we can maximize the limited amount of time we have to—"

"Uhhh…" Avalon's voice trailed off. "That sounds really great. You obviously put a lot of thought into those plans. Are they concrete?"

"What are you asking?"

"Last week, Graham asked me if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him and I said yes because you're the best friend in the world and I didn't think you'd mind if I didn't see the village with you?"

Daphne's brow furrowed. "It's fine. It's not like we've been planning this trip for two years. You could send me a postcard from Madam Puddifoot's, or wherever it is that people go when they ditch their best friends for a random boy they only really started talking to a couple of weeks ago. I hope you have fun."

"Don't be like that, Daph."

"Like what? I said I hope you have fun."

Avalon smiled sweetly at her friend. "But that's not your 'I'm-okay-with-this' tone. How about this: I'll join you guys for the Shrieking Shack and the Three Broomsticks—without Graham. I'll buy you all butterbeer. Does that make it better?"

Daphne sighed. "Fine. I guess if it were me going to Hogsmeade with a boy, I would want you to be supportive. But I want every last detail about it later."

The boys gagged, and Avalon hugged Daphne tightly. Of course she would never say this, but Avalon was greatful that the other girl was so understanding, because it was similar to the time her sister did the same for a boy she liked, and Avalon had been nowhere near as understanding as Daphne.

Harry Potter passed them on his way up the stairs, sulking. "I heard he didn't get his permission slip signed," Blaise whispered. "He can't go to Hogsmeade. Sucks to be the boy-who-lived I suppose."

Draco cackled. "Staying here, Potter? Scared of passing the dementors?"

Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

As the line continued, Filch approved their permission slips and the third years were on their way. Avalon bid goodbye to her friends and began looking for the sign to the Hogsmeade Owl Post Office where she was supposed to meet Graham. She found it, but assumed he was still in the throng of students waiting to be allowed into the village.

"Avalon, hey!"

She turned and saw Neville coming towards her with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Nev! How are you?"

"I'm great. We're on our way to Honeydukes now. Are you here by yourself?" Neville asked. The question of who he meant by 'we' was answered as Finnigan and Dean Thomas rounded the corner and joined them. They had clearly already been to Zonko's, if the parcels in their arms were anything to go by.

"No, I'm meeting someone."

Finnigan rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on the box. "Neville come on, I want to get to Honeydukes and check out their supply of sugar quills. I always pretend to take notes in class anyway, I might as well get a snack out of it."

Avalon laughed, which only seemed to upset him more.

"Stuff it, Steele."

"This has gone on long enough. What's your deal, Finnigan?"

He frowned. "You _honestly_ don't know what I'm upset about?"

"No!" She waved her arms, exasperated. "Like I said, I don't know what I did to make you upset. You haven't said a word to me all since the term started, and we didn't talk over the summer. Whatever I did, I'm sorry."

Finnigan turned and gave a look to his friends, and Neville stepped to the side and started a conversaiton with Thomas about something or other. He continued. "After we got back to King's Cross last year, you told me to write you. And I did. I waited for a response. Not all the time, obviously, I had better things to do. I thought maybe the first one was bad, so I sent you a second letter… and a third. But your response never came. If you didn't want to write me, you shouldn't have brought it up at all. It was a dumb thing to do. And a bloody awful one as well."

"That's why you're mad?"

"Yes. Why are you laughing?"

Avalon quickly filled him in on the story of her invasive cousins going through her mail, leaving out the part where her father convinced them to do so and the fight that ensued. With the boggart story floating around, she didn't need those implications joining them. Finnigan's eyes widened when he realized that Avalon hadn't spent the summer ignoring his letters after all.

Neville and Thomas weren't the best at pretending not to listen to conversations, if the side-eye looks they kept shooting the pair were anything to go by. Finnigan ignored them. "I feel like I might have overreacted."

"Your response made sense, but next time you're mad at me for something I did or didn't do, talk to me about, you git. Don't just give me the silent treatment for two months." Avalon jokingly hit Finnigan's arm to emphasize her point. "So, are we okay?"

"Yeah," said Finnigan. He smiled at Avalon.

Neville sighed in relief. "Oh, I'm so glad that's over."

"Me too," added Thomas. He looked over at Finnigan. "You're not that much fun when you're brooding, mate."

"We'd better get to Honeydukes and beat the line. I still want my sugar quills." Finnigan adjusted his robe and then readjusted it. "Umm… Avalon, you can, er, come along too. I mean if you want. Want to come. Or want some sugar quills."

"I'm waiting for someone, but thank you."

He nodded, his head bobbing quickly. "I thought when you said that, you didn't want us to know that you were here by youself. Because I saw Daphne and your friends on the way here, on their way to Dervish and Banges, and I didn't think… you know…"

Didn't think she had other friends?

Hurtful. A little true, but still hurtful.

"No, I'm—"

"Avalon!"

They all turned to see Graham coming down the street towards them. He was talking to Slytherin keeper Miles Bletchley, but Miles turned and went in the other direction before Graham reached Avalon. She smiled and waved at him, and he gave her a quick hug. "This is Graham Montague. Graham, this is Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and… Thomas. Sorry, I don't really remember your first name."

"It's Dean."

Graham started to put out his hand for them to shake, but thought better of it when he noticed their ties. His lip curled. "Gryffindors. I mean, I'm sure you're nice people. I'm not judging." He clearly was, and turned to Avalon in the worst whisper she had ever heard. "They're not coming on our date, right?"

The three younger boys exchanged looks. "Oh, you guys are on a date?" Finnigan asked after a few moments of silence.

"Not that it's any of your business, little boy, but yes," Graham answered.

Avalon didn't point out that Graham was only in the year ahead of them. Finnigan looked annoyed at the 'little boy' jab, but didn't respond to it. Neville and Thomas exchanged looks again. They were standing in an uncomfortable silence until Avalon leaned forward and patted Finnigan's arm. "I'm glad we worked things out. I'll see you lot around, yeah?" She let Graham take her by the hand and pull her further into Hogsmeade.

"I'm sorry, mate," Neville said.

Thomas nodded. "Yeah. It's too bad."

Finnigan scowled in his friends' direction. "I have no idea what you're talking about." But immediately after he said it, he turned and watched Avalon walking away with Graham and laughing at something he was saying to her. "Was it that obvious?"

"A little bit."

"Don't worry. Let's go get you your sugar quills."

They started walking in the direction of Honeydukes, hoping to distract him from whatever it was Avalon and Graham were doing.

ASGMSFDTNL

After the day's trip to Hogsmeade and the Halloween Feast, Avalon and her friends were extremely tired. In fact, Blaise didn't even take the time to sit in the common room with _Enchanted Encounters_ and immediately headed to the dorm, with Theo following closely behind him.

"I'm so full," Pansy moaned as the girls got ready for bed.

"Shut up, Pansy." Daphne put her pillow over her face. "You won't be able to feel how hungry you are if you just go to sleep."

And so Pansy did, followed my Daphne, Tracey, Millicent, and finally Avalon.

They hadnt been settled for very long when the lights flickered on, and shouts could be heard throughout the dungeons. "Everyone, get up! Find some shoes and line up in the common room. Don't ask questions, we have to hurry. Come on. Move it!"

The yelling prefect stormed into their room. "Did you hear me? Get out of the bed!"

In a half-asleep stupor, the teens stumbled around, pulling on cloaks and slipping on shoes before falling into the crowd of Slytherins making their way down to the common room. After a quick head count, the prefects began leading them to the Great Hall.

"What's happening?" Daphne whispered.

"I don't know," said Avalon quietly. She tried to focus on the quiet sounds of the students' footsteps instead of looking at the walls and portraits around her. She had never seen the corridors so dark.

She hated the dark.

Daphne slipped her hand into Avalon's and squeezed, a silent message of support to the other girl.

In the Great Hall, the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff students were already there. Dumbledore was talking to Percy Weasley and a Ravenclaw girl that Avalon didn't recognize, the Head Boy and Head Girl. The students who had been there for a while began whispering to the others—Sirius Black was in the castle, and he attacked the Fat Lady in an attempt to get into the Gryffindor dormitory.

To Harry Potter.

"Of course a mass murderer breaks into Hogwarts to get to him," Blaise said with an eye roll. The others glared at him. Their rule of thumb was that if Draco didn't bring up Potter, no one else did. They didn't want to get him going. But it was too late.

Draco scowled and made a loud sound in ht back of his throat. "Merlin's beard! I'm so sick and tired of everything in this school being about Potter. It's getting old. The other students are always collateral damage to whatever diaboloical plot Potter is overthrowing, or whatever person Potter is defeating."

The others mumbled their quiet agreement. Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," he Dumbledore told them as McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looked smug. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

His voice trailed off as he waved his wand. The long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls. He repeated the motion, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors continued telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

Students started grabbing sleeping bags and arranging them on the floor near their friends. As they settled in, Pansy sighed loudly. "What's the point of us coming to school every year only to have our lives endangered over and over?

"Yeah," Draco added. "When I'm at home, I have the _luxury_ of feeling safe, and I should have the same privileges here."

Some nearby Slytherins agreed.

"How did Sirius Black even get in?"

"What if he comes back?"

"Do you think he's going to kill Potter in his sleep?"

"The lights are going out now!" shouted Percy Weasley. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. Avalon stared up at the stars.

She thought it was interesting. Being in the castle with a mass murder/convict wasn't as frightening to her as being left alone with her thoughts.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet and under control.

As Avalon drifted off to sleep, her dreams were filled with boggarts.

 **A/N: So it's been almost a month and a half since I've updated this story, mainly because I spent all day working on a musical for a summer camp where I worked, and I had to pack for college/move in to college. But I'm back.**

 **A few things about this chapter/the story:**

 **1) It's very long. I apologize, but of the three segments of the chapter, I didn't feel like any of them would do well as a stand a lone chapter because of both length and story structure/flow. Sorry.**

 **2) Graham's introduction and development as a "love interest" (if you can call it that) for Avalon seems very speedy and rushed. Which might be annoying, but she's a thirteen-year-old girl, and he is a boy who is showing an interest in her at an age when things are usually over dramatic and shes still figuring out who she is.**

 **3) Compared to Harry and co., Avalon's adventures probably seem trivial. But while Harry was annually saving the world, there was an entire school's worth of students going through their own problems.**

 **So stay tuned for the next chapter.**


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